Where's My Happy Ending?
by noscruples
Summary: Elizabeth has a huge secret. She runs away to Port Charles and meets Jason and he is determined to find out what it is and win her heart. And when all of the truth is finally uncovered, it's more heartbreaking then either of them could imagine. Rated T for now but will change later on.
1. Chapter 1 - Starting Over

Elizabeth has a huge secret. She runs away to Port Charles and meets Jason and he is determined to find out what it is and win her heart. And when all of the truth is finally uncovered, it's more heartbreaking then either of them could imagine.

A/N Elizabeth is 25 and Jason is 31. Neither has kids. The rest you will find out along the way. Please review and let me know what you think!

Chapter 1 – Starting Over

Elizabeth sat on the bus looking out the window. Trees and houses flew by in a continuous blur as she blankly took it all in. She barely had any money; fleeing her apartment and life to escape the bleakness it had become. Sighing, she looked down at the map and read the name of the town she had chosen to make her new home, Port Charles, NY. If there was a God, she hoped that he would bring her some kind of peace when she got there; because her current situation was really testing her limits. Normally running away wasn't an option but in this case, she felt it was a necessity. Time was a luxury and she just hoped that her family would forgive her.

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Jason Morgan looked out over the water. It had been a hard month. They had been attacked repeatedly before they finally got rid of the last threat. He was tired and just felt like something was missing in his life that he couldn't put a finger on. The monotony of the job and cleaning up Carly's messes was starting to get to him. Usually, he would take off, but Lila was sick and he didn't want to go too far. He loved his grandmother and would be sad when she passed on but it was hard seeing her in pain and he wished he had more memories of her when he was younger. That, unfortunately, would be something that would never happen though. Sighing, he turned and made his way back to his motorcycle and took off needing the speed and adrenaline that it provided him.

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Elizabeth stepped off the bus and started to struggle with her luggage. She tugged and lost her balance and fell ungracefully to the ground. A rather burly man stepped forward and his closeness made her jump.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I just thought you needed some help. I'm Francis."

Liz was surprised at the warm smile on his face. "I'm Elizabeth." She said slowly.

"Will you let me help you?"

She looked around having no idea where she was going and then stood up. "I'm trying to get here." She said digging a piece of paper out of her pocket and then placed it into his hand.

He read the address and she saw him frown.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't want to scare you but it's not the nicest part of town."

She shrugged. "It's what I can afford until I get a job and some money saved up."

He studied her for a moment. There were already a few things that he could tell about the woman and one of them was she had been very hurt by something or someone. She wouldn't look him in the eye for very long and he noticed that she was very nervous and frequently looked around like she was making sure she wasn't followed.

"My car is right over there. I'm going back to town, so I can drop you off on my way over there."

Liz looked around again. She felt kind of weird getting into a car with a stranger.

"Honestly, I know what you're thinking right now and I would never hurt a woman. And to show you that, I'll pay for a cab to get you were you are going if you are not comfortable riding with me."

Liz looked up at him and he held his breath as he saw all of the pain etched in her deep blue eyes. "I'll let you take me." She said softly.

He smiled. "Good. Let me help you with those."

She let go of the bigger suitcase and followed him with the smaller one. Francis put them in the trunk and then opened the back door for her.

"Thank you." She said sliding inside. Something told her that she could trust him although that gave her pause because she really didn't trust her judgment right now.

He drove towards town. "When was the last time that you had something to eat?"

Liz shrugged.

"That's what I thought. I'm buying you lunch."

Liz started to protest.

"Sorry, but I will not take no for an answer." He said firmly.

Deciding that she was really hungry and needed to save some of her money, she finally agreed. "Okay."

"Good, we'll go to Kelly's. It's a local diner and has really good food."

He turned on the radio and they drove the rest of the way in silence. Francis finally parked the car and opened the door for her. "This way." He said walking besides her.

She looked around the docks and took it all in before Francis led her inside.

"Hey Francis." Georgie called out with a smile.

"Hey dollface. This is Elizabeth." He said sliding into a seat.

Liz smiled at the younger girl and took the seat across from him.

"It's nice to meet you. What can I get you to drink?" She asked before handing Liz a menu.

"I'll have a coke." Francis said.

"Do you have iced tea?"

Georgie nodded. "Yes, I'll be right back."

She disappeared and Liz studied the menu. "What's good here?"

Francis smiled. "Just about everything. The chili and burgers and fries are my favorite."

She smiled. "Chili sounds good."

Georgie dropped off their drinks and took their order.

"So, what do you like to do?" Francis asked.

"I was an art teacher where I used to live and I painted and submitted to galleries."

Francis smiled. "That sounds great. I have no artistic abilities myself."

Liz smiled. "You'd be surprised. You probably have more than you think."

The door flew open and Johnny O'Brien slipped inside. "There you are you big lug." He said walking over to Francis and Liz. He pulled up a chair without asking.

"Do you mind?" Francis asked.

"What? You didn't return my call and now I know why." He turned to look at Elizabeth and smiled. "Hello, I'm Johnny."

Liz smiled. She liked the accent. "I'm Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth is new in town and I am going to take her to her apartment when we are finished here."

Johnny was surprised. Francis usually kept to himself. He couldn't wait to ask him why he was helping her.

"Well, welcome to Port Charles. Where are you moving too?"

"Thank you." She rattled off the address and Johnny frowned.

"You too?"

"That's not the safest place. Why don't I come with you two and I'll make sure it's secure."

She started to object but Georgie interrupted. "Hi Johnny." She said smiling.

Liz could tell the younger woman had a crush on the Irishman.

"Hi Georgie. Can I get a number 6?"

"You got it." She said as she placed their meals down.

The two men chatted as Elizabeth listened to them and laughed. She could already tell Johnny drove Francis crazy. And it was funny seeing his reactions to the outlandish things that came out of Johnny's mouth. Georgie quickly brought Johnny his sandwich and Liz realized that she already felt good about being here. She hadn't smiled this much in a long time.

Liz got up to use the bathroom leaving the two men alone.

"What's her story?" Johnny asked curiously.

Francis shrugged. "I don't know much. I feel like she's running away from something. When I saw her she just looked so lost and hurt that I couldn't help it, I approached her."

"She seems really nice. But I do agree. There is something a little off. She jumped a few times when the door opened."

"I want to help her get started. I think she just needs someone to be nice to her."

Johnny nodded. "I'm game."

Elizabeth came back and Francis paid the bill and they went back to the car.

"I'll meet you there." Johnny called out as he disappeared around a corner.

Francis drove her there. "Now listen, you need to be careful in this neighborhood. Try not to go out late if you can avoid it, and I'm going to give you my number in case you need me to escort you."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary."

"Elizabeth, please say yes because if you don't I will worry about you."

She sighed. "Okay. But, I feel like I have nothing to give you back in return."

"Nonsense, you eat lunch with me every once in a while and we'll call it even."

She smiled. "At least it's not too far from the diner."

"It's not the distance that I'm worried about. It's who you'll encounter between here and there. I'm not trying to scare you out of your mind, but a girl can't be too careful. I think I have some mace and a stun gun at the warehouse, I'm going to bring it to you."

Liz nodded. She wasn't sure what to think. Francis parked. "These are studios aren't they?"

She smiled. "I figured that I could do art work and just get a couch to put in there."

Francis grimaced. "There's a Goodwill down the street. I'll take Johnny and we'll get you something."

"Only if you let me pay you back."

"Done."

They met Johnny and went up to the landlord's room and got the key. Liz gave him some money and then he directed her to the 2nd floor.

They went inside and she looked around. It wasn't much at all, but it would do.

Johnny looked at the locks. "I'm going to come by tomorrow and reinforce everything."

She nodded.

Francis grabbed Johnny. "We'll be right back."

Liz went over to the window and looked out at the docks. At least she had a decent view. Hopefully, she'd get some good lighting. The kitchen wasn't much and the bathroom was small, but at least it would provide her with some shelter.

About an hour later, Johnny and Francis came back along with a few other men.

"Oh my God, what did you buy?" She asked.

Francis smiled. "It's just some housewarming gifts."

Max and Cody placed the couch down. "Is this good?" Max asked her.

"Yes, thank you."

"This is Max and Cody."

Liz smiled and said hello.

Milo came in next and went to the kitchen and put a few bags of groceries down. "Hi, I'm Milo. I got you some staples. I hope I did okay."

"I'm sure they will be fine, thank you." She was overwhelmed with their generosity.

Francis brought in a few more things and put them in the kitchen. "There's a coffee maker and a toaster in here. And there are sheets, blanket, and towels in the other box. Also, here is a phone. I already programmed our numbers in there."

Liz's eyes welled with tears. "Thank you so much. I just…." Her voice trailed off as she started to cry.

"Hey, it's okay. Really, sometimes it's nice to pay it forward."

She shook her head. "Thank you very much."

"No problem." Johnny said smiling. "Francis, we have to go."

The men filed out and Elizabeth walked towards the door. Francis stopped and turned. "I meant what I said. Please call me if you need anything. I had a sister your age that got into some trouble and I lost her. So, I just want to make sure you are safe."

"I will."

"See you soon."

Liz smiled and shut the door and locked it and then started to unpack.


	2. Chapter 2 - Hired

A/N – Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I love it when you're all enthusiastic. I'm really excited about this story too! Enjoy!

Chapter 2 - Hired

The next morning, Elizabeth decided to venture out. She walked over to the docks and spent some time there and then found a place called Jake's and walked inside. There were a few people hanging out and she took in the surroundings. It was kind of a dive but it had character.

"Hey little lady what can I get you?" Coleman asked with a sly smile.

"I saw you have a help wanted sign in the window."

Coleman smiled. "That I do. Have you ever been a waitress before?"

"It's been a while but I have in the past."

"Well, I need someone who can wait tables and help keep the place clean."

"I can do that."

"The hours suck because it's mainly in the evenings."

"That would work out fine for me."

She figured she could sleep and then paint in the afternoon.

"What's your name?"

"Elizabeth….." She paused for a moment, almost saying her real last name and then quickly remembered her cover. "Stevens."

"Well Elizabeth, it's very nice to meet you. When can you start?"

Elizabeth grinned. "When do you need me?"

He smiled at her spunk. "Tonight at 8:00 we'll break you in."

"I'll see you then."

She walked back to her apartment with a spring in her step. Things were starting to look up and then she could pay Francis back for all the things he brought.

Johnny saw her and stepped out of his car. "Hey." He said walking up to her.

"Hi Johnny."

"You look happy." He said walking alongside her.

"I just got a job."

"May I ask where?"

"A place called Jake's."

Johnny froze. "Um…..really?"

She nodded.

"Seriously?"

She frowned. "Why do you say it like that?"

"It can get a little rough in there."

She crossed her arms and looked up at him. "For a girl you mean?"

He chuckled at her bravado. "For anyone. Hold on and let me place a call."

"Jason? Are you still looking for a secretary slash receptionist?"

"Yeah you find someone?"

"I did. Her name is Elizabeth. Can I drop by with her?"

"Sure."

Johnny hung up the phone.

"But I already told Coleman I'd work there."

"I know him and I'll take care of it. Trust me. This job will pay more anyway and you don't have to worry about men groping you."

She shrugged. "Am I dressed okay?"

"You're fine. Get in." He said opening the car door.

Liz slid into the back wondering why the both of them never offered her the front seat.

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Liz followed Johnny into the small restaurant. They walked towards an office door and he knocked.

"Come in." Someone said loudly.

Johnny pushed open the door and they went inside. "Jason, this is Elizabeth."

Elizabeth stepped forward and was immediately struck by how beautiful Jason's eyes were. He had high cheek bones and spikey hair. He stood up and she swallowed deeply, trying not to think about how he'd look without his shirt.

Jason quickly took her in. She was really pretty; a natural beauty. Her eyes were a deep blue and her lips were nice and plump "Hi." He finally managed to blurt out.

Johnny turned to leave. "I'll wait for you out here."

She nodded.

"Have a seat and tell me about yourself."

Elizabeth sat down. "Well, I'm new to town and Johnny and Francis have kind of adopted me."

"Really?" Jason said surprised.

"They've been very kind."

Jason noticed she was having a hard time looking him in the eye and wondered what that was all about.

"I went to art school, but before that I did some waitressing."

He nodded. "Well, my partner and I own several warehouses and this restaurant. I need someone to be an office manager; make some calls, create work schedules. It would be a variety of things. Do you think that it would be something that would interest you?"

She smiled. "Definitely."

There was just something about her that he liked and he wasn't sure what it was. But, he felt like he wanted to help her; that he needed to.

"You just have to fill out some paperwork."

"There is something I should be honest with you about before you consider hiring me." Elizabeth said nervously shifting in the chair.

"What is it?"

"I'll give you my real last name for the paperwork, but would you mind if I used another one out in the open. I just got out of a bad relationship and I don't want him to find me."

Jason clenched his jaw before answering. "Okay."

"I mean if you want to think about it for a while. I know this request is kind of odd."

Jason wondered what the hell the man had done to her. "The job is yours if you want it." He blurted out.

Her body relaxed a little.

"The pay is good and you'll get benefits."

She smiled. "Thank you so much Mr. Morgan. I hope that you will be happy with me."

"It's Jason and if Francis and Johnny trust you, than so do I. But there is something I need to be honest with you about now too."

She swallowed. "Go ahead."

"Elizabeth, Morgan/Corinthos have been rumored to be in organized crime. I'm not going to confirm or deny that but I will tell you that this building is completely legit. There is nothing illegal going on here. It is truly a coffee business. Johnny and Francis are guards and work for me and Sonny. I will always do my best to protect you and we will make sure that your ex will not get near you."

She wasn't even sure what to think about everything he said but she really needed the job. "Okay."

He handed her the paperwork and she stood up. "You can fill it out at one of the tables and start tomorrow at 8 a.m."

Jason reached out her hand and he noticed that she paused a bit before taking it. He made sure to not apply a lot of pressure and watched her walk out. Picking up his phone, he dialed Francis. "Get in my office now."

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Francis walked into Jason's office about ten minutes later. "What's up?"

"What do you know about Elizabeth?"

He frowned. "How do you know her?"

"Johnny brought her in to interview for the secretary position."

Francis smiled. "Did you hire her?"

"Yes but it came with one string which has me intrigued."

"What was that?"

"She told me that she'd put her real last name on the paperwork but she wanted to use a different one around everyone else because she's hiding from her ex-boyfriend."

Francis thought for a moment. "That actually makes sense considering how she was acting when I first met her."

"What do you mean?"

"She was looking around a lot like she wanted to make sure she wasn't followed and the pained look in her eyes kind of disturbed me. She also easily backs down if you make any kind of demands."

"I'm going to do a background check and see what I can find out."

"I want to make sure that she's protected. And if you find out who hurt her, I want to know."

Jason could tell by the look in Francis's eyes what he meant by that and he was all for it.

"She moved into a studio over on 4th."

Jason frowned. "That's a really bad neighborhood. We'll put a guard on her."

He wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Francis. "Get a fake ID made up with this name on it. I don't want this guy to be able to track her by her social security number."

"You got it."

"She starts tomorrow."

Francis nodded. "I'll pick her up myself."

Jason watched Francis leave and then called Stan and gave him Elizabeth's name for the background check.

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A few hours later, Stan sat down in the chair across from Jason. "I got what you wanted." He said sliding the file onto the desk.

Jason stared at it for a minute. For some reason, he was feeling a little apprehensive about reading it. It wasn't his intention to just spy on her but he also wanted to know who he was dealing with. Deciding not to open it he said, "Is there anything I should know?"

Stan shrugged. "She's pretty normal. She taught art, was single, and has no priors."

Jason nodded.

"Her mother and father are still together. There are two other siblings. So far, that is all I've got."

"If anything else comes up, let me know."

Johnny came into the room. "We need you in the back."

Jason got up and followed him out of the office.

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That evening, Elizabeth walked to Jake's as Nathan followed a safe distance behind her. He texted Francis. "She's on the move."

"Where?"

"Just walked into Jake's."

Francis texted back. "I'm already there." He looked up and saw her tentatively walk in. "Elizabeth." He called out.

She smiled and walked over to their table. "Hi guys."

Johnny smiled. "Hey."

"You should have called me. I would have come and gotten you."

She shook her head. "I'm not going to call you for every little thing." She said smiling. "Besides, don't think I didn't notice the handsome guard following me."

Francis looked surprised.

She laughed. "I'm very observant. You have to be when you are a teacher."

"Oh really?"

She nodded. "There are two men at the bar. One looks like he already had too much to drink. The guy at the pool table looks totally sketchy. And that girl over there has some serious daddy issues. It would explain the outfit."

Considering her back was to the bar, Francis was impressed. He was also delighted that she was letting her personality come out a little. "I'm impressed."

She grinned. "You should be."

Johnny called over to Coleman. "What do you want to drink?"

"A beer is fine."

Coleman walked up to them. "If it isn't my runaway waitress."

She made a sheepish face. "Sorry."

"No problem beautiful. I mean I'm not happy that I had to hire Lucas instead. You're much nicer to look at."

Liz smiled.

"What are you having?"

"What Francis is having."

Coleman smirked. "I'll just keep em' coming."

"You looking forward to work tomorrow?" Francis asked.

"I am. It will be nice to be able to keep myself busy."

"What did you think of Jason?"

She shrugged. "He seemed like he'd be pretty quiet, which isn't a bad thing."

"He keeps to himself usually but he's fair and we all respect him a lot." Johnny said.

"He can be gruff sometimes but he's a good guy." Francis added.

She nodded.

"You play pool?" Johnny asked.

"No, but I can throw a mean dart."

Johnny grinned. "Let's do this then."

Liz laughed. "Okay."

Coleman handed her a beer and then she went and beat the pants off of Johnny. Francis noted how different she was when she was relaxed and just being. And he hoped that eventually, she'd feel safe enough to be like that all of the time.


	3. Chapter 3 – Dinner Guests

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it. Love your guesses. But, I can't tell you if you're right or not.

Chapter 3 – Dinner Guests

The next morning, Liz got ready and then ran out the door. She wasn't late, but she had intended on getting there a little early. She was shocked when Francis was waiting for her outside. "Francis, what are you doing here?"

He smiled. "Well good morning to you too. I'm taking you to work on your first day."

She shook her head. "You are spoiling me too much."

"Come on."

She got in the car and they walked into the restaurant together.

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Elizabeth quietly sipped her coffee as Francis and Cody chatted. She liked Francis. In fact, she liked all the guards. They were funny and caring; nothing that she would have expected from someone in the mafia. She felt safe around them; well as safe as she could feel. Finishing up, they went over to the restaurant where Jason was waiting.

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Jason was impressed by how fast Elizabeth was catching on and how relaxed she was around all the other men. They would intimidate most people and it made him wonder why it didn't faze her. He felt like she was a mystery waiting to be unlocked and he wanted to know her story. But, in the first three weeks, he quickly learned that Elizabeth could be as shut off as he was. It appeared that she'd rather listen most of the time than talk. Francis had told him that she had been different that night at Jakes and he wondered why she felt she couldn't be herself around them all of the time. Not to mention that she tended to look down a lot when he spoke to her.

"Jason." Sonny's voice rang out and jarred him from his thoughts.

He looked over at him. "Yeah."

"Is that Elizabeth?" Sonny said trying not to smile. Clearly Jason had been watching her intently and Sonny wondered if he was interested in her.

"Yeah."

"She's pretty." He said softly.

Jason nodded. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

They walked across the warehouse where Elizabeth was scanning the inventory.

"Elizabeth." He said causing her to jerk her head around in surprise.

"Yes?" She said slightly out of breath.

"This is Sonny Corinthos, my partner."

Elizabeth held her hand out. "Hello."

Sonny smiled and shook it. "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you. You're one of Max's favorite people."

Liz smiled. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Well, I'll let you get back to work but perhaps you'll consider coming over to my house for dinner tonight. It will be my family and a few guards."

"Oh." Liz said softly. "Will Francis be there?"

Sonny smiled again. He had heard that Francis had taken the woman under his wing. "Yes."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Good. I'll see you later then." Sonny said nodding and turning around.

They walked back towards the office. "I noticed that you neglected to tell her that I'll be there."

Sonny nodded. "I think you make her nervous."

Jason frowned. "Me? Why would you think that?"

"Because of how she reacted when you called out to her."

"You think she's scared of me?"

Sonny shook his head. "No, I think it's something else." He said trying not to smile.

Jason shrugged. "You know what mistake you're making right now?"

"What?" Sonny said frowning.

"Trying to figure out a woman."

Sonny smiled. "That my friend, is my favorite past time."

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Francis looked down at Liz. "You ready?"

She nodded. For some reason, she was nervous to spend time around Sonny. Maybe it was all the things she had been reading in the paper which she did try not to believe or the preconceived notions of mafia life. She took a deep breath as Francis opened the door and walked inside of the house. They went through a second door and it was like the whole house had come to life. There was laughter and Michael was running around. She relaxed a little and smiled.

"Carly." Sonny yelled from the kitchen.

Carly looked up at Jason and handed him a baby and went to the kitchen. Jason smiled down at Morgan, who was 11 months old, and talked to him softly. Liz realized she was holding her breath and let it out. She wasn't used to seeing this side of Jason. He was being so cute and tender with the baby.

Johnny looked up and smiled and quickly walked over to greet her. "Heah guys, you want something to drink?"

Francis asked for a beer and Liz said she'd have some wine. Johnny took her coat and Francis led her over to the couch. Sonny and Carly came back into the room and he grinned when he saw Liz.

"Welcome to my home." He said walking towards her. "This is my wife Carly."

Carly smiled. "Hi."

"Hello, thank you for inviting me."

Carly sized her up for a minute. She was pretty. But Carly wondered why she was wearing such dreadfully boring clothes when she had such a cute figure. For a week, the guards had gushed about the young woman and now she was sitting there in front of her and Carly wasn't sure what the big deal was. She seemed really quiet and unmemorable to her. Michael ran up interrupting her thoughts. "Mom, I want some juice."

"What do you say?"

"Please?"

"Alright, come on." She said suddenly stopping. "Michael, this is Elizabeth. She works for your Uncle Jason."

Michael, five, turned and looked at her and smiled. "Would you like some juice?"

Liz grinned. "No thank you, Johnny is bringing me something to drink."

"How about a cookie?"

Carly's eyebrow shot up. Michael usually didn't share his cookies with anyone.

"Are you going to have one?"

"After dinner." He said smiling.

"Okay, then I'll have one with you after dinner." Liz said softly.

Michael jumped up and down. "Let's go mom." He said tugging on Carly's hand. She walked away confused as to what just happened.

Sonny sat down on the couch. "I hope you're hungry."

Liz smiled. "Francis says you're a really good cook."

"I can throw down in the kitchen." Sonny said smiling. "I like cooking because it relaxes me."

"I'm not the greatest cook but I can make really good brownies."

Francis smiled. "You've been holding back."

Liz chuckled. "I was planning on making some this weekend. If you're lucky, maybe you'll score some."

Johnny handed her some wine. "I hope I'm on your distribution list."

"Don't worry. I'll make enough for everyone."

Jason's phone rang and he looked at it and grimaced. Standing up, he walked over to Sonny and handed him the baby.

"What's up?"

"Your sister just landed."

Sonny smirked and looked over at Liz. "Can you hold him for a minute?"

Liz looked a little shell shocked as Sonny placed the baby in her arms. But then Morgan smiled at her and she just about melted.

Jason and Sonny walked away.

"I'm sorry Jason. I forgot to mention it to you."

Jason shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't be tempted to strangle Sonny. "Please don't tell me that she's invited to dinner."

Sonny chuckled. "Jason, you are going to have to find a way to deal with Courtney. She's not that bad. I know she gets on your nerves but she's only here for a week and then she's going back to Paris and I want her on that plane alive."

Jason rolled his eyes as he cursed under his breath. Saying that he couldn't stand Courtney was an understatement. She was everything he didn't want in a woman. But his disdain for her only seemed to spur the blonde on more. Sonny walked away to go tend to the food and Jason stood to the side and watched Elizabeth with the baby. She was talking softly to Morgan and then he would gurgle and grabbed her face. Jason smiled.

Carly, who was standing across the room with Max, frowned as she watched Jason watch Liz. What the hell was it with this woman that had all of these men so enthralled? Michael ran into the room straight to Jason and tugged him out of sight as Carly walked over to the couch where Elizabeth was sitting and sat down next to her.

Elizabeth looked up at her. "He's absolutely gorgeous."

Carly grinned. "He is. I love his chubby little cheeks. Have you ever thought about having one? You're really good with him."

Elizabeth looked up at her and Carly was taken aback by the pain in the woman's eyes. "Um, no, I don't think that's in the cards for me." She said handing Morgan to Carly.

Carly didn't say anything back. Elizabeth was saved by Sonny calling everyone to the table. They all sat down and he made a toast. "To old friends, new friends, and family."

Everyone raised their glasses. Jason and Elizabeth's eyes caught from across the table and he nodded at her and she gave him a little smile. The door burst open and everyone looked up as Courtney came around the corner. "I hope I'm not late." She said smiling.

Elizabeth noted the pained looks on all of the guard's face.

'I'm going to need more alcohol." Johnny muttered next to her causing her to smile.

Sonny stood up and hugged her. "You're just in time."

She smiled and sat down next to Sonny.

"Courtney, this is Elizabeth. She is our new secretary."

Courtney looked over at her and took her in. She smiled because she didn't think Elizabeth would be a threat at all. She was plain. "Hello."

"Hello." Elizabeth said not sure what to make of the blonde whirlwind. She was dressed in a couture outfit with heels and plenty of cleavage. She wondered why no one seemed to like her.

They all ate. Elizabeth was in love with Sonny's cooking. There were 3 different kinds of pasta and they were all delicious. "Sonny, this was the best meal I've had in a long time."

"Yeah, if you like 10,000 calories." Courtney snarked as she picked at her salad.

Liz looked over at the blonde, "Well thankfully, I don't have to worry about that."

Jason coughed to hide his laugh and even Carly smirked.

Courtney sucked in her breath, surprised at the bite that came from the previously quiet woman.

Francis wanted to kiss Elizabeth. Thankfully, Johnny started talking about something else and Courtney sat back in her seat.

Elizabeth made a mental note to try and ignore her like everyone else seemed to. She actually felt sorry for Sonny. Courtney reminded her a little of her sister Sarah. Although, Liz and Sarah got along fine, her sister was definitely an acquired taste for most people.

Sonny brought out some dessert and Michael got up and handed Liz a cookie.

"Thank you." Liz said taking the chocolate chip cookie from him.

Michael grinned and ran back over to Jason who scooped him up in his lap. Liz watched him make a mess with his cookie. Jason had melted chocolate on his arms by the time Michael was finished.

Carly got up and wet a wash cloth and cleaned up both Michael and Jason while Liz took the opportunity to use the bathroom. When she was finished, Courtney was waiting in the hallway; a little agitated because she kept catching Jason staring at Liz.


	4. Chapter 4 – Mutual Attraction

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! You guys make it hard on me because I know you don't like Lucky, Sam, and Courtney but they are part of Liason history and they make good villains. It's really hard not to write about them and honestly I don't want to exclude them. I guess you are just going to have to trust me. Courtney lives in Paris so she'll pop in and out but she is not by any means a main focus. There is always a method to my madness and this chapter is probably the longest of the scenes she's in. Next chapter she goes home.

Chapter 4 – Mutual Attraction

Elizabeth jumped back because she wasn't expecting someone to be just standing outside the door.

"So, Elizabeth, how do you like working for Jason?" Courtney asked.

Liz crossed her arms. "He's a great boss."

She nodded. "He's not hard on the eyes either."

"I'm not sure what you want me to say to that."

Courtney smiled. "Nothing, it's just a fact. I just want you to know that Jason is mine."

Liz shifted. "Oh really?"

"Yes. You see my brother will do anything for me and I've already made it clear that I want him."

"What about what Jason wants?"

Courtney shrugged. "He'll learn to love me. I'm perfect for him. I know how to dress." She said looking Liz up and down. "I know how to act around the other families. And I also know my place and how to please him in bed."

Elizabeth tried not to roll her eyes. She was convinced that somewhere Sarah was laughing at her.

Jason, who was standing in Sonny's office, listened intently.

"You can't force someone to want to be with you. And not once in your little diatribe did you seem to care about Jason's feelings or what he wanted. It was all about you. That tells me everything that I need to know about you Courtney. And I pray to God that Sonny would never pawn you off on his friend like that. Because from what I've seen, Jason doesn't deserve to be saddled with some bourgeoisie, self absorbed, mindless twit." She said spat.

Courtney raised her hand to smack Elizabeth and it was stopped by Jason's hand. "Courtney, I think you should keep your hands to yourself and go into the other room."

Courtney gulped. "Okay Jason." She said as he let go of her arm. She glared at Elizabeth letting her know that this wasn't over.

Elizabeth couldn't even look up at Jason. "Did you hear all of that?"

"Enough of it. I'm sorry if she offended you. But, thank you for what you said."

Liz blushed which made Jason smile.

"Come on." Jason said walking in front of her down the hallway.

She followed him, wondering what was going through Jason Morgan's mind.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth smiled as she listened to all of the stories being told. Courtney had already excused herself and left, much to everyone's relief.

"You look tired." Francis said softly.

"I am a little bit."

"Just say the word."

She nodded. "Okay."

They stayed for another half hour and then Elizabeth let Francis know that she was ready to leave.

Jason stood up. "Francis, can you drop me off at the Towers on the way out?"

Francis nodded. "Sure, come on."

They all said their goodbyes. It was getting late and they all had to get up for work the next day. Carly shut the door after they shuffled out.

"What did you think of Elizabeth?" Sonny asked curiously.

Carly shrugged. "She's not at all what I imagined. There is something a little off there."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Every once in a while, she just looks so hurt."

"I know."

"She seemed nice but just a little plain, which is odd considering that she's really not."

"It's like she's hiding."

"Exactly." Carly said looking up at him. "Jason seemed to pay her a lot of attention."

Sonny smiled. "I noticed that too."

"You really think she can handle this lifestyle?"

"Well, you should know as well as anyone that hurt can translate into strength. I think she's a fighter."

Carly shrugged. "I hope so."

"So, if Jason and Elizabeth end up together you'd be okay with that?"

Carly shuddered. "I can't even go there right now; baby steps." She said as Sonny grinned and then hugged her into his body.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Jason got out of the car and walked Elizabeth to her door.

"Thanks." She said looking down.

"I hope you had a nice time."

"Sonny is a great cook."

Jason smiled. "Yeah he is. I'll see you tomorrow."

She opened her door and turned and bit her lip for a second. "Goodnight Jason."

"Goodnight Elizabeth."

She shut the door and leaned against it. The way he had said her name had made her shiver. Pushing her attraction to him out of her mind, she got ready for bed.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The next few days were a blur. Jason had been pretty busy and they had eaten lunch together once but he was behind closed doors a lot.

"You seem a lot more relaxed." Francis said biting into his burger.

Liz smiled. "You guys make it easy to let my guard down."

"Well, I'm glad that you're trusting us more."

"I like it here."

Francis smiled. "It's a nice little town. If you had asked me a few years ago if I thought I'd be living here, I would have probably thought you were Courtney insane." Francis said pausing as she chuckled.

"What brought you here?"

"Jason. He's a hard man to turn down."

Liz nodded. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like him."

Francis took another bite to hide his grin. "Jason has this little quirk where it's like he can sense something before it happens. It has saved us on many occasions."

Liz smiled. "So, you're saying that sneaking up on him is pretty futile."

"Pretty much. He has to be pretty distracted in order for that to happen."

Francis looked at his watch. "Break over."

Elizabeth wiped her hands and took a sip of water. Jason Morgan was certainly an interesting man.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

A few hours later, he called her into his office.

"I know this is probably highly inappropriate."

Liz tilted her head to the side. "Go on."

"I have this dinner tonight. And..um…." Jason was staring at her and seemed to lose his train of thought.

"You need a date?" She asked smiling at his awkwardness. He was gorgeous and he was getting nervous asking her out.

"Um, yeah."

"Well, I did have plans."

"Oh, ok." He said looking disappointed.

Liz smiled. "You're really easy to tease you know that?"

He smirked. "I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough around me to tease me."

"I'd like to consider us friends."

"We are."

"What should I wear?" She said suddenly realized she had nothing fancy to wear and not much time to rectify that.

"Ummm, hold on." He said dialing Carly and putting her on speaker phone.

"What's up?" She asked as she put Morgan in his play pen.

"I have a question about the gala."

"Go for it." She said balancing the phone on her shoulder while picking up Morgan.

"Listen, Elizabeth wants to come and she needs to know what to wear."

Carly grinned. He thought he was slick acting as if Liz just invited herself along. "Hi Elizabeth."

"Hi Carly."

"It's semi-formal."

Elizabeth grimaced.

"I think she needs your help. Do you think you could…."

Before Jason could even finish Carly was going on and on about what color she thought Liz would look good in.

Elizabeth chuckled at the look on Jason's face.

"I'll have Max drive me over and I'll pick you up in a half hour." She said quickly. "Be ready and Jason, this is on you so have your card ready."

"See you then." He said ending the call.

"I can't let you pay."

"Yes you can. I asked you. It's my treat."

"I…I don't know Jason."

"Please, it would make me feel better about asking you at the last minute. It's just that Sonny has been riding me all week about it and…"

"You don't have to explain. I better go get a few things done before she gets here."

"Thanks for saving me."

"What are friends for?" Elizabeth said walking out. She had a date with Jason freaking Morgan.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Shopping with Carly was insane. In 2 hours, she had a complete outfit and her hair and makeup were done. She had never met anyone like her. When Jason arrived at her studio to pick her up, she was still in a daze. When she opened the door and saw him in a tux she just about drooled.

"You look beautiful." He said softly.

Elizabeth blushed. "Thank you. Let me grab my purse." She said disappearing for a moment.

Jason was trying to look cool but the burgundy gown Carly had picked out looked gorgeous on Elizabeth. Her hair was swept up into a slightly messy bun and the burgundy contrasted against her creamy back and shoulders which were exposed. He shut his mouth and walked her down to the car.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

They walked inside the hotel and went upstairs. When Carly saw them at the elevator, she walked over to greet them.

"You both look gorgeous." Carly said kissing them on the cheek. "Well, how did I do?" She asked Jason.

"You did great Carly. I think I might treat you to a spa day."

Carly grinned. "I'm going to hold you to that. Come this way, I'll show you to your seats."

The diner was a fundraiser for the pediatric wing of the hospital. Carly had planned it all and Jason wanted to support her. It was a $1,000 a plate dinner.

They sat down and Elizabeth looked around. "Do you know any of these people?"

Jason followed her gaze. "Pretty much."

An older couple approached them and she smiled.

"Jason, it's good to see you." Monica said.

Jason smiled. "Hi mom."

She kissed him on the cheek.

"You haven't visited in a while." Alan added.

"Sorry, I've been kind of busy. This is Elizabeth Stevens. She works at Corinthos/Morgan. Elizabeth, these are my parents."

Liz smiled. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Monica said impressed. Jason was finally dating someone she approved of.

"Elizabeth, I would love it if you would dance with me." Alan said smiling.

Liz grinned. "I would love to." She said standing.

Jason was a little jealous but tried to keep it under wraps.

Monica sat down in Liz's seat as she watched them walk away. "So, I like her."

Jason chuckled. "We're just friends."

"If you say so." She said grinning.

"I'm her boss."

"And. She seems like a very lovely person."

"She is very nice."

Monica eyebrows rose and Jason turned to see what she was looking at. John Zacchara was now dancing with Elizabeth.

"Son of a…"

"Jason." Monica said stopping him. "I thought you were just friends."

Jason glared at her and Monica laughed. Alan waved for her to come over to him.

"Duty calls, I'll talk to you later. But, I'll leave you with this advice, go cut in." She said before taking off.

Jason shook his head. He watched them for a moment and then stood up and walked up to them.

"Excuse me, may I have this dance?"

John looked up at him and grinned. "Go find your own girl Morgan."

Liz bit her lip to keep from laughing. The look on Jason's face was murderous and John's devilish grin cracked her up.

"She's my date John."

John looked down at Elizabeth. "And I thought you had good taste."

She chuckled. "Thank you for the dance John."

"It was my pleasure." He said before kissing her hand.

Jason took her into his arms. "You should go wash your hand before you eat."

Liz threw her head back and laughed and Jason couldn't help but smile.

"Are you having fun?"

Liz nodded. "Yes, everyone is really nice."

Jason groaned.

Courtney strode up to them. "Excuse me but I'd like to dance with Jason."

Jason looked down at her. Elizabeth knew that the situation was awkward and that Jason wouldn't want for her to cause a scene.

"It's okay Jason, go ahead."

"I don't think he needs your permission." Courtney said as she held her tongue and walked away.

"You don't have to be rude Courtney."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "She's fine. I'm just glad we have some time together before I go back."

Jason seethed when Courtney let go of his hand and wrapped herself around his torso. He looked over at Sonny and he stood up.

"May I have this dance?" Sonny asked.

Courtney lifted her head. "Sonny?"

"Come on Courtney." He said giving her a look that she better comply.

She reluctantly let go of Jason. "We'll dance again later." She said smiling.

"Over my dead body." Jason muttered as he walked away.

The rest of the night went quickly. Liz's feet hurt from dancing so much. By the time they got to the car, she was exhausted.

"Thanks for inviting me. I had a blast." She said smiling.

"I think I'm supposed to be thanking you."

Elizabeth smiled. When they got to her studio he walked her to the door and thanked her again. Neither one of them could deny their attraction to each other.


	5. Chapter 5 – Screeching Halt

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! This one is angsty but next one you find out the secret! Dreamlover22 – Had to slip JZ in there. * Kikimoo – So true. He is oblivious. * Mel4113 – It's going to be even more angst coming. * Ilovedana53 – Carly will be likeable in this fic

Chapter 5 – Screeching Halt

The weekend came quickly. Elizabeth had made batches of brownies and the guards devoured them faster than she could make them. She knew that Jason was working on Sunday, so she decided to make a trip to his office.

She lightly knocked on the door and opened it. Courtney was standing there with a coat on. Jason was standing across from her with his arms folded and the woman seemed to be pleading with him. She dropped her coat just as Jason eyes met Elizabeth's. Courtney stood there without a stitch of clothing and couldn't figure out why Jason wasn't looking at her. She turned and was stunned to see Elizabeth standing behind her. "What are you doing here?" She stammered.

Elizabeth looked at her and smirked. "Who's your plastic surgeon?"

Courtney gasped and grabbed her coat and quickly put it on.

Elizabeth looked back up at Jason.

"Courtney, I think you should leave."

Courtney spun around and pleaded with him. "Jason, you can't mean that."

Jason looked down at her with a lethal glare, "Oh, I really do mean it. Leave now." He growled.

Courtney fought back the tears in her eyes. "Fine." She said whirling around. She clipped Liz on the way out sending her into the door and Jason ran towards her when he saw her grimace.

"I'm fine. My back just caught the door knob."

Jason motioned for her to sit down. "I'm surprised to see you."

"I brought you some brownies." She said realizing how lame that sounded.

Jason smiled and put his hand out. Elizabeth gave him a bag and he opened it and took one out. He didn't say anything right away because he was too busy savoring it. "That's really good."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Sorry about Courtney. She gets a little desperate sometimes. The good news is her plane leaves today."

Liz shrugged. "You weren't the one embarrassing yourself."

He nodded.

She stood. "Well, I know you're busy."

Jason stood. "Actually, I was about to take a ride."

She looked at him curiously.

"I have a motorcycle."

She smiled. "Really? I've always wanted to try riding on one."

Jason smiled. "Well, why don't you come along then?"

Her eyes grew big. "Really?"

"Really."

He fished around in the corner of his office and produced a helmet. Liz grinned. "Alright, I'll go." She said eager to try something new.

Jason led the way through the warehouse and she gasped when she saw the beautiful bike. "Wow."

Jason smiled. "She is my baby."

He helped her put the helmet on and he slid on the bike first. "Okay, you need to hold on tight and when I lean into the turns, you lean into the turns."

"Okay."

"And if you get scared, pinch my arm."

"Got it."

Jason started the bike and chuckled when Liz jumped. Her hands were on his back. He turned slightly and put his hand out. She looked at him curiously but put her hand his and then he placed it on his waist. Getting the picture, she put her other hand on his waist and when the bike lurched forward, she gripped him tightly.

Jason flew along the windy roads, loving that Elizabeth was getting the hang of it and leaning with him. She was laughing and yelling and he loved every minute of it. They finally came to Vista Pointe and they took a break.

"That was incredible." Elizabeth said taking off the helmet.

It was the first time that Jason had really seen her. There was no pain or heartbreak in her blue eyes, just pure joy and elation.

He smiled. "I'm glad you liked it. Come on." He said holding out his hand. She took it and he walked them over to a bridge. She broke from his grip and ran over to the railing. "It's beautiful." She said softly.

Jason nodded. "I like to come here to think."

She looked up at him curiously. "Jason, are you happy?"

He leaned forward on the railing. "Do you think I'm not?"

"Sometimes."

He looked out over the water. "You ever feel like something is missing?"

"Yes." She said quietly.

"That's how I've been feeling lately." He said softly.

Elizabeth was surprised that he was so forthcoming.

"Why are you so sad Elizabeth?"

Her head jerked up as she came in contact with his beautiful blue eyes. It was like she was in a trance.

"You don't have to answer that. But, I want you to know that you can trust me."

She nodded and actually believed that. She slowly faced the water, not ready to tell him everything, but she wanted to tell him something. "I left all of my family and friends to come here. It was for the best really. It's hard for me sometimes. I mean, all of you have been so good to me. But, I feel really guilty about running away even though I know it was the right thing to do."

Jason stayed quiet, happy that she was opening up to him.

"My life was very complicated." She stopped talking for a minute so Jason looked over at her. "Maybe, I shouldn't have come here or I should have just stayed to myself and not let any of you in." She said emotionally thinking about her predicament. This was just so wrong.

Jason grimaced, shocked at her sudden change. Elizabeth walked away and he chased after her pulling her body around so she would face him. "Elizabeth, please don't run away from me. I want to help you. I feel like we have a connection and I really want to see where it goes."

She shimmied out of his hold. "No, I can't. Don't you understand? I'll just hurt you. And I really don't want to hurt you Jason." She said fighting a sob. She couldn't stand hurting him. What was she doing? This had to stop.

Jason grabbed her and pulled her into him; hugging her tightly. She was rigid at first but soon she relaxed as the sobs took over her body. He picked her up and walked over to a bench and sat down with her in his arms. She finally quieted.

"I don't know what is going on or who hurt you. But, I wish you'd let me be there for you. When I was younger, I was in a car accident with my brother. He was driving drunk. It almost killed me. I ended up with some brain damage so my memory was gone. I was angry and belligerent and wouldn't let anyone in. I was like a raw nerve."

"Is that when you met Sonny?" She asked softly.

"Yes. He took me in and let me be who I needed to be. Let me help you and be there for you Elizabeth."

She pushed off of him and stood up. Wiping the tears away, she looked down at him. "Jason, I don't know how to even tell you how much it means to me that you are willing to do that for me. But, I need you to trust me. It's for the best that I deal with this alone. I think I should leave here and find another place to live." She said with so much hurt and pain that Jason felt nauseous.

He gripped her arms. "Please don't leave. If you need me to stay away from you and give you space, I will. I just don't want to cause you more pain. I wish you would let me in but it's your life. Even though it's going to kill me, I won't press you anymore and I'll stay away." Jason said feeling like the happiness he felt when he was around her just got ripped away.

Unable to stand it when a tear rolled down his cheek, she turned and walked back over to the bridge and looked out again. She didn't want to leave. And God knows she wished that she could get to know Jason better, but that just wasn't in the cards. It wasn't fair to him when her life was such a wreck. Her ex and her family would not stop looking for her. Right now, she didn't have another game plan, so she decided she would stay until she could make arrangements to disappear again. It might take her a few months but maybe she could go to Canada or someplace further away. Turning around she looked at him and walked back towards him. "Okay, for now I'll stay."

Jason felt crushed. But, he knew her mind was made up. So, he stood up. "I'll take you back." He said quietly.

They got on the bike and Liz was quiet the whole way back not realizing how much Jason was hurting too. And he didn't know how he was going to let her go.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The next month went by quickly. Jason and Liz functioned around each other but both were completely closed off and his foul mood was noticed by everyone. He wanted what he couldn't have and it was driving Jason crazy. Seeing her every day was complete torture.

"This is painful." Francis said to Johnny.

"They are both miserable. I don't get it." Johnny said softly.

Max shrugged. "She's scared."

Francis nodded. "True, but she won't tell me what happened between them. You think Jason kissed her?"

"It's hard to say. But, I don't think so." Johnny said.

Milo stepped forward. "He tore up the safe house in Antioch a few nights ago."

They all looked over at him. It was scheduled to be demolished.

"It was crazy. I haven't seen him this angry in a long time."

"They just need to give in." Johnny said.

"I don't know about that. I'm going to talk to him." Francis said quietly.

The rest of the men looked at him like he was crazy. Francis shrugged and walked to Jason's office, as the other men made bets on if Francis got knocked out or not.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

"Come in." Jason growled.

Francis walked inside. "Boss."

"What?" Jason barked.

Francis sat down. "Jason, you have been a mean little shit for at least a month and you have everyone around here walking on egg shells. Elizabeth looks like her best friend just died. What the fuck happened?"

Jason clenched his jaw and gave Francis a bone chilling look.

Francis, however, was not having it. "You can glare at me all you want. Hell, hit me if you want to; just hit this side, it has less prior damage." He said pointing to his right jawline. "But, we all can't go on like this."

Jason slammed his hands down on the desk and cursed. "Fuck. I told her that I'd stay away from her so that she wouldn't leave town."

Francis frowned. "She was going to leave?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she thought that we were all getting to close to her."

Francis sat back trying to make sense of it. "What the fuck?"

Jason buried his head in his hands. "I know. She ran away from her family and said that it was for the best. It didn't seem like she was mad at them or anything. It was like she was trying to spare them."

Francis started getting a sick feeling. "I don't know. It just doesn't make sense. But, Jason, you need to pull it together. Do you think that it doesn't hurt her to see you this upset?"

He sighed. "I know. I just can't help it."

"You like her don't you?"

Jason grimaced and buried his head in his hands.

Francis smiled. "Jason, find a way to dial down the anger okay? Do it for her."

He nodded. "I'll try."

Francis stood up. He didn't want to let on to Jason, but he was sure he knew what was wrong with Liz and he decided to confront her.


	6. Chapter 6 – No More Secrets

A/N – Thanks for all the reviews! I did try to give you a hint last chapter and used wording to imply something since no one was guessing the secret. Although, I think Dreamlover22 might have caught my wording and listed a few things; one of which is pretty close. Lol. Thank you for all who comment. I love reading them!

Chapter 6 – No More Secrets

Francis found Liz sitting on the docks. "Hey." He said softly. He had gone over the conversation with Jason again and again in his mind and could only come to one conclusion and it killed him to even think about it yet alone confront Elizabeth with it. But, he felt that he had to.

Liz looked up. "Hi."

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Elizabeth, I need to ask you something." Francis said, his mouth going dry.

"Yeah." She said staring at the water.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Are you dying?"

Jason had been walking nearby and saw them sitting there. He ducked back so he was unseen and held his breath as he waited for her to answer.

Elizabeth turned pale and gasped. Her eyes filled up with tears. "Why did you ask me that?"

Her response told him all he needed to know. "I was talking to Jason and something just clicked in my mind. He said it seemed like you were trying to spare your family. Please talk to me. I promise I will not discuss it with another person."

She closed her eyes. This was not supposed to happen. She didn't want to be a burden to anyone.

Francis sighed. "Elizabeth, please you need someone to talk to and help you. And I promise that I will be there for you and take care of you." He said sadly.

"But that was the whole point of leaving my family so that they didn't have to see me die. Don't you understand? I came here to get away and just be by myself. But you….." She said standing up. "You had to butt in and win me over and all of you stupid, wonderful people had to ruin everything." She yelled as she sobbed. "I don't want you to care about me. I don't want you to treat me differently."

Jason was finding it hard to breathe. She was dying? But, she couldn't be. She looked fine.

"Elizabeth, please…." Francis said pulling her into him and hugging her tightly. "Don't push me away. I can handle your illness."

She pulled back and looked up at him. "But, I don't want to hurt you."

Francis sighed. "If you hurt, I hurt. But, I can handle it. Will you please let me help you?"

He closed his eyes, thinking about his sister. He wasn't there to help her when she had gotten into trouble. And he'd be damned if he would let Elizabeth be alone. It just wasn't going to happen no matter what she said next.

They were silent for a few minutes. "For now." She said quietly. She wasn't prepared to go running off and right now, even though she felt selfish for it, she needed Francis badly.

"I talked to Jason and told him that he needed to stop with all the anger, that it wasn't good for you. He said he would."

She wiped her face. "I had to push him away Frannie. I just can't go there with him. It's not fair."

"Do you want to?"

She nodded. "Yes. I want to so badly."

"I'm sorry. Elizabeth, if we're going to do this, I need you to tell me everything."

Elizabeth nodded. "Okay, but not here."

Jason turned and walked away wiping the tear that had escaped from his eye. He couldn't hear anymore. He needed to go for a ride.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth settled onto her couch with a cup of hot chocolate as Francis sat down next to her. She was finally going to tell someone everything that was going on. Part of her needed to get it out and part of her was scared. She put the cup down and began.

"I lived in upstate New York with my family, The Webber's. I have two siblings, Sarah and Steven. My father's name is Jeff and my mother's name is Andrea. I was an art teacher which I really loved. I had a fiance named Ric. We had a rocky relationship because he was very controlling. Right before I found out I was sick, he was just really demanding and we got into this huge fight. I broke up with him and he was always scheming trying to get me back. And then, I wasn't feeling well and I went to the doctor's. A week later, I got an urgent call and I was told I was ill. Ric was there for me and we ended up getting back together. Dr. Devlin told me that I had some rare cancer that was untreatable. That I wouldn't start seeing the affects of it until it was in the advanced stages. He told me I had about 6 months of a normal life and then basically, the disease would start to take a toll on me." She stopped to take a sip of her drink. Her hands shook a little as she lowered it back down.

Francis stoically waited for her. All sorts of things were running through his mind.

"My family and Ric were smothering me. We got a second opinion with the same results. I was devastated knowing I had this death sentence hanging over my head. Everyone treated me so differently and I thought I was going to scream if I didn't get away from them."

"So you bolted."

She nodded. "I decided that I didn't want them to watch me die and I didn't want to spend whatever time I had left thinking about dying all the time."

"I'm sure they were shocked."

"Probably, I was pretty predictable up until then. But, it was like this disease woke something up inside of me and I realized that I had let people walk all over me and tell me what to do for way to long."

Francis nodded. "What do you need from me?"

She shrugged. "Just be a friend. The friend you have always been. Don't look at me like I'm dying and treat me like you always have."

"I can do that."

It was a lot to ask but he couldn't just abandon her or let her leave.

"And I have one last favor."

He looked over at her.

"Frannie, I know what you do for a living…"

"You're not going to ask me to kill you are you?" He said in a panic.

Francis put her hand on his arm. "If I get to the point where I'm not even me anymore and I can't tolerate the pain, take me to one of the states that will assist me in dying. I have a list over in my desk drawer."

He put his coffee down.

"Can you do that Frannie?" She said as tears poured down her face. She knew she was asking the unthinkable, but she had to know if she could trust him to carry out her wishes.

He couldn't even look at her but he slowly nodded yes.

"Thank you."

They talked for a little while longer and then Francis left and headed to Jakes. He needed a drink.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Jason paced outside her studio door. He had gone back and forth trying to decide if he should tell her or not. But, he didn't think that he would be able to hide it from her so he decided he would. Reaching out his hand, he knocked on the door and waited.

Elizabeth ran and opened. "Frannie did….Jason?" She said in shock.

"Can I talk to you?"

She nodded and stepped back and he walked inside.

"You can sit down." She said curling up on the couch.

"No, it's okay. I need to stand." He said shifting his weight.

"What's going on?"

"First, I want to apologize for being so angry lately. Francis kind of yelled at me."

She smirked at the visual of Jason getting a verbal beat down.

"I don't know how to explain it to you; why I was so angry."

"You were angry because I told you that I couldn't be with you right?"

He nodded. "Basically." He said almost smiling at how easy she had put into words something that had affected him so deeply.

"For the record, it wasn't that I didn't want to get to know you better Jason."

"I know." He said softly. "Elizabeth, I have something that I need to confess to you."

She frowned. "You're not running off and marrying Courtney are you?"

"No."

She noticed there was no humor on his face and that made her really nervous.

"I want to preface this by saying that I didn't do this on purpose. I just happened to be there and…."

She saw the desperate look on his face and stood up. "You heard us talking?" She gushed out.

He nodded.

"Oh my God." She said in horror. Before he could catch her, she ran into the bathroom and locked the door.

"Elizabeth, please."

"Go away Jason. I don't want to discuss this with you." She said quietly crying.

He leaned against the door. "You don't have to tell me anything else. I promise you that I won't treat you differently. I won't tell anyone. Just please don't run away. This is your home now."

His heart felt like it was about to burst.

The door slowly opened and her blue eyes glistened with tears as she looked up at him. "I'd like to believe what you said. But I'm having a hard time thinking that you're capable of doing it."

He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're probably right. Because what I really want to do is make whatever time you have left as special as I can."

She closed her eyes. "And you don't see how that will hurt you?"

"I don't care. I can handle it."

She opened her eyes and he was looking down at her with so much warmth and caring that her breath hitched. "Jason…."

With wide eyes, she watched his head lower closer and closer to hers. He gently pressed his lips upon hers twice before swiping his tongue against her lips. Liz fisted his shirt as she opened for him and Jason's tongue slipped into her mouth and tangled with hers. It was an impassioned, intense kiss and Elizabeth felt like her mouth was going to melt. Jason pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. He had wanted to kiss her for so long and it was everything, even more than he had imagined. He wanted to make everything really special for her. "Please baby." He begged softly. "Give me a chance."

Liz sighed. She had tried to fight her feelings for Jason for over a month and she just couldn't do it anymore. "Okay." She said her voice shaky with emotion.

"You won't regret this Elizabeth. I want to make you happy." He hugged her tightly.

After a few minutes, she pulled back. "I think you're crazy for putting yourself on the line like this."

"You're so worth it." He said with such conviction that she shivered. "Even if we don't have a lot of time left, I will cherish every second of it."

"Jason, there's more to the story. I just told Francis and I really don't want to talk about it anymore tonight. I'm exhausted. But, you can ask him to tell you and then if you have questions, you can let me know."

"Okay." Jason said thinking it might be easier to hear from Francis anyway.

"Now what?"

Jason shrugged. "Hell if I know." He said smiling.

Elizabeth smiled back.

"We'll make it up as we go along. But, there is one thing that you can do for me."

"What?"

"Go out on a date with me tomorrow night?"

Liz smiled. "Okay."

"I'll let you know the details later."

She walked him to the door feeling a little lighter. "Goodnight Jason."

"Goodnight Elizabeth." He said before giving her a quick peck and walking out the door.


	7. Chapter 7 – Dancing in the Dark

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I love reading your guesses. You know I love the angst and drama. So Blackberry959, keep the tissues handy.

Chapter 7 – Dancing in the Dark

Jason tracked down Francis. He was on his third beer and he was about to start a new one. Jason slid in the seat next to him and Coleman handed him his usual.

"Hey."

Francis looked over at him. "Hey."

"I just got back from talking to Elizabeth."

Francis frowned. "Why?"

"I overheard your conversation on the docks."

Francis groaned. "Please tell me that you didn't tell her that."

"I did."

"I think I need a shot."

Jason smirked. "It's okay Francis. She's going to let me help her too."

He sighed with relief. "Thank God I don't have to do this alone. Did she tell you everything?"

"She didn't want to have to repeat everything again so she told me to ask you and then she'll answer whatever questions I have later."

Francis studied him. He knew Jason wouldn't lie to him about something like this. "Why don't we go sit in the corner?"

They got up and sat back down at a table in the corner and Francis told him everything he knew. By the time he was done, Jason was frowning. "There is just something not right about this."

"Yeah, I feel the same way."

"I'm going to have Stan check out that doctor."

"This whole situation sucks." Francis said taking a swig of his beer. "How far did you take the conversation?"

Jason sighed. "Well, we have a date tomorrow night."

Francis was shocked. "Wow, you're good."

"It's just feels right with her. I can't explain it."

"Jason, if you fall in love with her and then she dies….."

Jason growled. "I can't think about that."

"You have to think about that. I don't know if I can watch you self-destruct."

Francis felt like didn't have a clue that he was already in love with Elizabeth.

"Well Francis, you don't have a choice. You'll have to suck it up because I'm already falling. She haunts me. I can't let her go and even if I only got five more minutes with her, I'd take it."

Francis looked away from Jason's desperate expression. He wasn't used to seeing him like that and it kind of freaked him out. "Okay."

Jason settled down. "Now I just have to figure out where to take her."

"You could have Carly set up something at the Metro Court."

"True but I don't know if I really want Carly to know."

Francis agreed. "Or, you can do something at Pozzulo's."

Jason nodded. "I could make it really romantic and have a nice dinner waiting."

"Some nice music….. Although, she is there all day."

"You have a point."

"How about the Haunted Star? Ask Luke if you can rent it for the night."

Jason smiled. "Thanks Francis."

Francis nodded. "I feel like I'm about to watch a train wreck, but I'm in."

"I'll buy you a beer."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The next morning, something went wrong with a shipment and Jason was in a really bad mood by the time Liz came in.

She walked into his office and he was slamming things around. "I need you to sign this." She said putting it down.

He grumbled something and scrawled his name and she turned around quickly so he didn't see her grin; happy that he wasn't treating her like death warmed over.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

By lunch, everything was coming together and Jason had calmed down.

"Is it safe to come in?" Liz asked as she peeked inside the office.

Jason smirked. "Yes."

She smiled and sat down. "So what are we doing tonight?"

"Tonight?"

She glared at him. "Don't even try it."

Jason tried not to smile. "Oh yeah, I'll pick you up at 7:00."

She shook her head. "Do I have to dress up?"

"Yes, but there will be a dress waiting at your studio."

"How did you get in?" She asked frowning.

He shifted in his chair. "Uh, I have my ways."

Her eyes got big. "Did you pick my lock?"

Jason chuckled. "I'm not admitting to anything."

She rolled her eyes. "Men."

"Trust me, you'll be happy."

"I won't even ask how you knew my size."

Jason looked away quickly as Liz made a noise and got up and left.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The day went pretty fast and Liz clocked out and went home, excited about the date. She walked into the studio and saw the big box on the couch that had a bow on it. She couldn't wait and opened it and gasped. "Oh my God." She said at the cobalt blue dress inside. It was beautiful and there were shoes to match. Jason Morgan was certainly a keeper. She ran into the bathroom and turned on the shower, anxious to put the dress on.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Jason knocked nervously on the door. He just wanted to do everything right. She opened the door and smiled. "What are you over breaking and entering?"

He smiled and handed her a bouquet of flower. "These are for you." He said softly.

"Jason, they are beautiful." She said taking them from him.

He followed her inside and she quickly put them in some water.

"You look incredible." He said as he watched her move around the small studio.

She blushed. Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his eyes caress her body and it took her breath away. "Thank you. The dress is stunning and don't even get me started on these shoes."

"Diane, my lawyer helped me. She's into fashion."

"Well remind me to thank her too."

"You ready?"

She nodded and grabbed her coat and a small purse and they headed out.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

They walked into the Haunted Star. "Oh my God, this is really cool." She said when she saw all of the gambling tables.

Jason led her through a door into an open room. There was a table in the middle that had lit candles on it. There was soft lighting and music playing in the background.

Flowers completely surrounded everything and there was a dessert table that definitely caught her eye.

"This is lovely Jason." She said taking everything in.

He smiled. "I'm glad that you like it."

They sat down and a man came out and asked her what she wanted to drink. "Champagne." She said smiling.

Jason ordered a beer and took off his jacket.

Liz smirked. "You look really nice in a suit Jason."

"Thanks I guess."

She chuckled. "You got all of this done today?"

He nodded.

"I'm impressed."

The waiter put her champagne down and left the bottle on ice. Jason grabbed his beer and took a sip before asking, "Do you want to dance?"

She nodded. "I'd love to."

He took her hand and to her surprise he led her through the door and they were on the deck with a beautiful view of the harbor. It was a clear night and the lights flickered from the city in the distance. Jason pulled her into his arms and they started to sway.

Liz put her head on his chest and just relaxed; enjoying their closeness as Jason wrapped his arms around her. They stayed that way until the song ended.

"You're so beautiful and I'm so glad that I met you." Jason said softly.

Liz sucked in her breath. Jason was so gorgeous and it was hard for her to believe that he felt like that about her.

"I mean it." He said leaning down and kissing her. "And your lips…." He said as he dipped down and captured them again. "Mmmmm."

Liz almost felt dizzy from what his mouth and words were doing to her.

Jason held her for a minute longer and then walked her back to the table.

She drank some more champagne and they sat there looking at each other until the waiter interrupted and refilled her glass.

When the food was delivered, Liz chuckled. "Sonny?"

Jason nodded. "You said you loved it."

She grinned. "I do. It's sinfully good."

Jason smiled. He loved how she lit up when she looked happy. They ate and got some dessert and then Jason led her to the dance floor and they danced again.

"I hope you didn't have any plans next weekend."

"Why?"

"I was going to take you somewhere."

Her eyes grew big. "Where?"

"We have a 3 bedroom cabin in the mountains. I thought it would be a nice little getaway."

"I would love that."

"Good."

"We'll head up Friday night. The weather should be nice."

Liz was excited.

Jason leaned down and kissed her again. He couldn't believe that he was getting a chance to be with her and he planned on making sure that he made all of her dreams come true.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Every day Jason would do something sweet for her and Elizabeth knew she was falling for him. She had talked with Francis about it and he assured her to just follow her heart. But part of her felt guilty because she knew that the inevitable would happen. Jason for all his quirks and peculiar nature excited and fulfilled her like she had never experienced before. He had been to so many places; places she had only dreamed of. And he would share that with her such detail that she could close her eyes and see it in her head.

Carly, for the most part, stayed out of it. She knew what was up. She could get anything out of Max. And even though she was really surprised that Jason hadn't confided in her, for once she let it go. She didn't know that Liz was sick. But according to Max, Jason was a goner. And Carly knew better than to try to start anything. Part of her didn't want to because she just wanted Jason to be happy. And if the little muffin did that for him, then she was happy too. But, she did miss him a lot.


	8. Chapter 8 - Falling

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! Kikimoo – No meds. It's untreatable and according to Dr. Devlin she won't have her symptoms yet. I did a lot of research to see if there were types of cancers like that and there are. This is going to be a bumpy ride.

Chapter 8 - Falling

Jason sat at his desk trying to concentrate but the only thing on his mind was Elizabeth and her happiness. He turned on the laptop and waited for it to boot up. He wanted answers where there probably were none. Typing into the search engine, he researched her condition. The more he looked, the more upset he was getting. There was nothing there that gave him comfort. In fact, it scared him because he didn't know if he could handle watching her slowly die. But, he had promised her he would be there.

His door opened and Elizabeth came into the office with a smile on her face until she saw the tear running down his face. "Jason?" She said softly. He looked down with guilt, not wanting her to see that he had already failed her and she wasn't even sick yet.

She walked over to him and saw the page he was looking at and she sucked in a ragged breath. "Jason, you shouldn't have done that."

"I can't help it." He said burying his head into her shirt as he held her tightly.

It was insane that he had so many feelings for her so fast. He knew that. But at the same time, he couldn't imagine feeling any other way.

She rubbed his back. "I knew that you would look. I did the same thing. And then I had a complete melt down."

Jason looked up at her, not even trying to hide his tears. "You did?"

She nodded as he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "I screamed and broke things. But there is one really good thing that came out of all of this."

"What?"

"God gave me you Jason. I wouldn't have ran away if I hadn't of been sick."

"I'd like to think that somehow we would have still found each other."

"I don't know. You have more faith in me than I do. I was drowning there, but I stayed. I was weak and this illness has shown me how strong I can be. And you Jason, you're showing me that I am worthy of love. I never thought I deserved it before."

He looked deeply into her eyes. "Me either."

She pulled his head towards her and kissed him gently. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." He said kissing her desperately. He ached for her. In a short period of time Elizabeth Webber had claimed his heart.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The week and a half went by quickly and Friday was upon them. Elizabeth had dragged Francis and Johnny shopping with her to pick out some clothes. Francis smiled at her excitement. She had come alive since she had come clean to him and Jason. It was like she was a completely different person. He discovered that she rambled and loved to tease people which was good unless you were Max because the man never could quite tell if she was joking or serious.

The guys in the warehouse would beg her for brownies and bring her the supplies in brown paper bags when no one was looking. Taggert had caught one of them handing it to her on the docks while she was on break and arrested her. Diane had a field day at the station when it was revealed that it was just brownie ingredients. He was suspended without pay for a week. Jason, of course, almost lost his mind when he found out about it and read the guards the riot act. But Elizabeth stepped right in and calmed him. She had that affect on the mob boss. He just seemed more centered when she was around and everyone noticed it. Jason Morgan was whipped.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Jason steered his SUV up the mountain as Elizabeth hummed along to the radio. It was a beautiful evening but it was still light out. Jason frowned when they pulled in front of the two story, three bedroom cabin. He saw a town car and could tell there was a guard on the porch. They pulled into the driveway and Jason slid out.

Max walked towards them. "What are you guys doing here?"

Jason blinked like Max was talking in Russian.

Carly looked out the window and frowned. "Jason?" She walked to the door and went outside. "What are you doing here?"

Jason cursed under his breath. "Getting away."

Carly smirked as Liz walked up to them. "I guess great minds think alike. Hello Elizabeth."

"Hi."

Sonny came out. "I take you decided to get away too?"

Jason nodded. "Sorry. I guess I should have told you where I was going."

"Well, it's too late now. We have plenty of food and room." Carly said walking back towards the house.

Michael came running around the corner. "Uncle Jason!"

"Hey Michael." Jason said lifting him up in his arms and tossing him up.

Michael laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"I guess Elizabeth and I will be joining you guys."

"Yippeeee." He yelled as Jason put him down and he ran into the house.

"Sorry, are you okay with this. We could go somewhere else."

She smiled. "It's okay. It will be fun."

He made a face and she chuckled. Taking his hand, she led him into the house.

"You can have the bedroom in the back on this floor." Sonny said. They were already settled upstairs with the kids, so he thought it would give them a little privacy.

Jason led the way and turned on the light. Liz walked inside. It was really nice and quaint. There was a small couch and a king sized bed.

"If you want, I can sleep on the couch."

Liz frowned. "Nonsense. The bed is huge."

Max interrupted. "Coming through." He said as Jason stepped back and let him by with their luggage.

"Thanks Max."

She saw a bag that didn't look familiar.

"That's a surprise for tomorrow. Don't peek."

She smiled. "Okay."

They went back out and they could hear Morgan on the baby monitor. "I'll get him." Jason said walking up the stairs.

Carly grabbed a bottle from the fridge and warmed it up. "I'll be right back. I'll just let him know where everything is."

Elizabeth sat at the table with Michael who was trying to put together a puzzle.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Carly smiled as she watched Jason comforting Morgan from the doorway.

"I changed his diaper." Jason said softly.

"Here, I'm sure he's hungry." She said handing him the bottle.

Jason sat in the rocking chair and fed him.

Carly grabbed the baby monitor and turned it off. "So, you and Liz huh?" She said sitting on the bed.

Jason looked up at her. "Yeah."

"She's nice."

"What are you up to Carly?" Jason asked.

She made a face. "Nothing. I'm fine with it."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to be happy."

"I am."

"Good."

He smirked and Carly chuckled.

"I have some bad news for you though."

"What?"

"Courtney will back for a few days."

He rolled his eyes. "Great."

"Max told me about her showing up showing up naked at the office and that Elizabeth saw her too."

"It was classic Courtney."

"She'll never learn."

"Can't we get her detained by homeland security?"

Carly laughed. "Hmmmm. That is really tempting."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth helped Michael put the puzzle away.

"Hope you're hungry." Sonny said as he tasted his gravy. "Good." He said putting the spoon in the sink.

"Daddy, I'm always hungry." Michael said.

"I think you take after Max." Sonny said as Max rolled his eyes.

Jason and Carly came into the room.

"Liz helped me put my puzzle together mommy."

Carly ruffled his hair. "That was nice. You ready to get washed up for dinner, Mr. Man?"

He nodded.

Jason pulled Elizabeth into him. "You okay?"

She nodded. "This is nice actually."

"We'll take a walk after dinner if you want."

"That sounds good."

They all sat down at the table and Sonny served everything up. Michael told them all about his school field trip and had everyone laughing at his hijinks.

Elizabeth and Jason helped clean up and then got their coats.

"Where are you going Uncle Jason?"

"Elizabeth and I are going to take a walk."

"Can I come?"

Carly walked towards them. "Michael, it's time for you to take a bath. Uncle Jason will take you on a walk tomorrow."

He pouted. "Okay."

Jason smiled. "Let's go."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

They held hands as they walked along the street. It was quiet and the moon seemed so bright in the sky.

"I used to like to come up here to get away from it all."

"Why did you stop?"

He sighed. "I don't know I guess I just got so busy that I forgot about it."

"Jason, if you don't like your job, then why don't you find something different to do?"

"It's not that simple. It's hard getting out. Grudges never die. People in this business aren't known for being forgiving."

"I understand. It just seems like you could find something that brings you joy."

"I like riding my motorcycle and I do get to travel a lot."

"Maybe you just need a break."

"I was thinking about that. We could go visited some of the places that I've told you about."

Elizabeth stopped walking. "I don't know Jason. I just don't know how long I have. Do you think it's wise to go overseas?"

"If I have to get you back here quickly, I have the means to do so."

"I'll think about it. I just don't want you to displace everything in your life for me."

Jason held her face in his hands. "Elizabeth, I'm crazy about you and it's not a sacrifice. Sonny can run things by himself for a while. You make me happy. I want to give you everything that you deserve."

She put her hands on his wrists. "This is just so unfair." She said tearing up. "I don't want to have to give you up and you shouldn't have to watch me die."

Jason kissed her hard. He passionately fed off of her mouth; he wanted to kiss her for all the kisses that they would miss. Liz moaned as Jason's tongue relentlessly searched her mouth. She was dizzy with want. They were hopelessly falling for each other and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.


	9. Chapter 9 – Full Disclosure

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I know I'm driving you all crazy but I hope in a good way. There was a method to my madness having them all at the cabin. You'll see. I forgot to mention this will be rated M next post. So, adjust your filter.

Chapter 9 – Full Disclosure

Elizabeth and Jason started to walk back to the cabin. "Are you going to keep this a secret from everyone until after your symptoms start?"

"I don't know. I just thought that it would be easier that way but I guess in the end, I'm going to die and they will have to deal with it anyway."

Jason hated the finality of it all.

"Why did you ask? Is it hard for you not to tell Sonny?"

Jason sighed. "I can lie about why I want to leave and we can find a temp to take your place."

"I'll need time to train someone before we go."

He nodded. "Maybe we'll take weekly trips and just stagger it so it won't be so bad."

"If we tell Sonny, then we have to tell Carly."

Jason grimaced. "I guess the only good thing about that is Carly is pretty fierce. She'd have your back."

"Okay, we'll tell them tonight."

Four months, Jason said in his head. They had hopefully that long until her symptoms started. And after that, he hoped he had the strength to deal with it.

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Carly and Sonny sat nervously on the couch. Carly had almost finished her wine waiting for Elizabeth to start talking. She wasn't sure if the muffin was knocked up or Jason had lost his mind and married a woman that he barely knew.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this so I'll just start from the beginning." Elizabeth said slowly as Jason gripped her hand tighter.

By the time she was done, Carly and Sonny were completely stunned and Carly wished that her earlier guesses were correct.

Elizabeth waited for one of them to say something.

Carly lowered her gaze as Sonny began to talk. "What do you need us to do?"

"Just treat me like you always do."

"I'll try to do my best."

Carly stood up and walked out of the room. She ran upstairs and went into her bedroom and sat on the bed.

"I'll go after her." Jason said standing.

"No, let me do it." Elizabeth said standing up. She wasn't sure if Carly was angry at her for lying or if she was just upset. Hurrying up the stairs, she hoped that this wouldn't be too painful.

She pushed the door open and walked inside. Carly looked up at her and wiped the tears from her face.

Liz sat down next to her and after a moment, Carly began to talk.

"I have watched Jason be miserable for a long time. And then you come out of nowhere and suddenly, there is a light that went on in his eyes. At first, I will admit it. I was jealous. But then, I was so hopeful because he was finally happy and I've wanted that for him for so long. He has been through so much." She said pausing to wipe her tears away. "And now I find out that he's falling in love with someone who is dying. I mean how fucked up is that?"

Elizabeth let her tears flow unabated, totally knowing where Carly was coming from.

"He's going to watch you die and then we're all going to have to pick up the pieces of his shredded heart? That is just not fair. I don't know if I can do it." She said totally losing it. Liz put her around Carly and they held each other for a moment.

"I'm so sorry that you have to deal with all of this. I just can't even imagine what you are going through or how that feels. I'm a mom. I don't know how not to worry. There are so many people that will be devastated by you dying. And I heard you say you came here because you didn't want to hurt your family. And I know that you didn't expect to meet all of us. But you did." Carly said pulling back. She got up and grabbed a box of tissues and offered one to Liz before taking one herself. "I'll do the best I can and I just pray that Jason won't kill himself over this."

Elizabeth didn't say anything. She had already thought about everything that Carly had said over and over in her mind. She had even called herself all sorts of names because she felt like she was being a selfish bitch needing Jason the way she did. But when it was all said and done, they were like two magnetic forces that couldn't be kept apart.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Sonny looked up at Jason. "Are you sure that you can handle all of this Jason?"

"I don't know. I just know that I have to do it."

"Jason, this is going to destroy you. I'm scared for you man. You know how you get." Sonny said firmly.

"I know. But as crazy as this may sound, I know that she's it for me Sonny. I just want any time I can have with her and I know I'm going to be a complete wreck but I promise you. I won't kill myself. I'll need some time to get away but I wouldn't ruin her memory like that."

Sonny sighed. "I'll do whatever you need me to do."

"I need some time off periodically. She has about 4 months before the symptoms start. I want to take her abroad. We can do a week at a time so it doesn't disrupt business too much."

"Don't think about that. Just do what you need to do. Johnny can handle it and you can take Francis with you."

"Thank you."

"I think you're completely crazy but you are my friend first and foremost. So, I'm there for you."

"And that means everything to me."

Liz and Carly came walking down the stairs. Sonny stood up and hugged Carly and Jason did the same with Elizabeth.

"I need some serious retail therapy." Carly said sighing.

Elizabeth smiled. "I tell you what. We'll go Tuesday after work."

Carly got a crazy look on her face. "Only if you'll let me dress you."

Elizabeth stammered and then looked up at Jason who shrugged.

"Come on. It will be so much fun. I have been wanting to dress you in couture for weeks. It will drive Jason crazy."

Liz smiled. "You're on."

Sonny looked over at Jason. "What just happened here?"

"Liz and I are going to go spend your money. That's what just happened." Carly said pouring herself some wine. "And right now, I'm getting drunk."

Sonny shook his head and Elizabeth laughed. "You have any tequila?"

Carly's eyes got big. "Come on, let's raid the liquor cabinet."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Jason chuckled as Liz wobbled in the doorway of the bathroom. She finally made it over to the bed and climbed in. Turning over on her side, she looked at him and smiled. "Hi."

Jason smiled back. "Hi."

"Why are you way over there?"

"Because I was giving you space."

"But I don't want space. I want to be comfy."

"Are you sure?"

She bit her lip and then grinned. "Oh yeah, I'm sure."

Jason moved over and Liz snuggled up against him. "See, this is much better." She said sighing.

Jason was trying to think of anything but the fact that the object of his desire was laying in his arms looking as sexy as ever. He bit his lip as Elizabeth started to move her hand in circles over his chest. She was killing him. Cursing under his breath, he put his hand over hers so she'd stop.

"Mmmmmm." She hummed throwing her leg over his.

Jason gritted his teeth. She moved up higher on his shoulder and her breath softly tickled his neck. And then she started to kiss him. At first Jason thought it was an accident but then he felt her tongue and the suction of her mouth and he groaned. "Elizabeth…"

But she didn't answer. She just sighed and nuzzled into his shoulder. And when her hand started a path down to his semi-hard erection, he growled and moved over as far as he could. Elizabeth didn't move so he turned onto his side, thinking that he was safe. He had just closed his eyes again, when she slid over and her hand started running down his chest again and she was laying wet kisses on his back. He scrambled out of the bed and stood up. Cursing again, he grabbed the blanket that was sitting on a chair, put on his shirt, and went downstairs and got comfortable on the couch.

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Sonny came down at 4 a.m. to get a bottle for Morgan and frowned. Jason's eyes snapped open and he looked up.

"What are you doing out here?" Sonny asked.

Jason sighed. "She couldn't keep her hands to herself."

Sonny chuckled. "I…I don't think that's a bad thing."

"I'm not having this discussion with you."

Sonny shook his head and walked into the kitchen.

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Jason had tossed and turned all night. He gave up when Michael woke up before his parents and came bounding down the stairs.

"You hungry?" He asked.

Michael nodded.

Jason got him some cereal and then they sat and watched a video. He fell asleep about halfway through Cars.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth got up and looked around the room. Sitting up, she tried to shake away the cobwebs. She had slept really good and felt very refreshed. With a smile, she went into the bathroom and took a quick shower and got dressed before going out of the room to find Jason.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

She smiled and waved to Michael so she wouldn't wake Jason up. Carly and Sonny were in the kitchen.

"I guess Jason got up early?" Elizabeth said taking a cup of coffee from Sonny.

Sonny chuckled. "Not exactly."

Carly grinned. "Someone was a little grabby last night."

Liz's eyes grew big? "I was not."

That just made them laugh louder.

"He told you I was grabby?"

Sonny grinned. "I came down at 4 and he was on the couch already."

"Was he mad?"

"Just sleep deprived."

She covered her face with her hands. "This is so embarrassing."

"Why? We're talking about Jason. If you were able to keep to your side of the bed, I'd think something was wrong with you." Carly said smiling.

Liz grinned. "True."

"What are you two holding out for anyway?" Carly asked curiously.

Liz made a funny face. "Clearly, I'm not the problem."

Carly laughed.

Jason walked into the kitchen and Carly handed him a cup of coffee. "Thanks." He said sitting next to Liz.

"You hungry?" Sonny asked.

"I had some Captain Crunch with Michael."

"That shit is going to rot your teeth out." Sonny said incredulously.

"You brought it for your son." Jason said frowning.

"For the record, Carly brought it as a way to bribe him."

"What? His teeth are going to fall out anyway. He might as well have fun for a while." Jason said.

Elizabeth chuckled.

Morgan cried and Elizabeth hopped up. "I'll get him."

"Thanks." Carly said sitting down in her spot.

She disappeared and Carly looked over at Jason. Sonny cringed knowing she was up to something.

"So, why didn't you jump muffin's bones last night?"

Jason groaned and rolled his eyes. "Really Carly?"

"What? What the hell are you waiting for?"

"Neither one of us will be drunk when we go there the first time."

Carly smirked. "When did you get so romantic?"

Sonny chuckled.

"I'm so not discussing this with you two."

Carly laughed. "God you're so much fun to tease."


	10. Chapter 10 – Holding it Together

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate all those who take the time to make comments. It keeps me going. Kikimoo - Liz and Carly had said they were going to get drunk. Jason wasn't.

Alright, this is changing to rating M when I post the next chapter. Be sure to change your filter for the ratings to "all" if you are not following the story.

Chapter 10 – Holding it Together

Elizabeth picked up Morgan and then changed him. "I watched your mommy do this. So, hopefully, I do it right." She said as she finished up.

Morgan gurgled and kicked his feet.

She grinned and picked him up. "I'm going to need you to watch out for your Uncle Jason when I'm gone."

Morgan made a loud noise and she laughed. "He's going to need lots of love and kisses; nice drooly kisses." She said kissing his forehead. "Do you think that you can do that?"

Morgan kicked his legs and beat his hands on her chest.

"Good. I knew I could depend on you."

Liz turned and Sonny was standing in the doorway.

"You're good with him." He said walking forward.

"He makes it easy."

Morgan reached for Sonny and he took him.

"Are you really okay with all of this?"

Sonny sighed. "No, I don't like any of it. You don't deserve to be sick. And Jason doesn't deserve to have to let you go. But, I'll be here for you both. It's what friends do."

She nodded. "Thank you Sonny."

"You just take care of Jason and make sure he knows how much he means to you. Because he's willing to sacrifice everything for you."

She nodded. "I know."

"Good."

They went back downstairs and hung out for a while and then Jason and Liz took Michael for a walk.

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"Did you ever want to have kids?" Jason asked as Michael sprinted ahead of them.

Liz nodded. "It wasn't something I thought about a lot but I would probably be open to it. How about you?"

Jason sighed. "I put it in the back of my mind because I figured my life was too dangerous. But, Sonny and Carly have managed to make it work."

"They work well together."

Jason made a face and Elizabeth laughed. "They've had some pretty rough times that I honestly thought would destroy them both. But, they fought hard for each other and managed to pull it together."

"Uncle Jason, chase me." Michael yelled.

Jason smirked. "Watch this."

Jason took off. Michael was laughing and running and his uncle caught up to him quickly and grabbed him as Michael yelled and giggled.

Liz caught up to them as they both fell to the ground in exhaustion. She was looking down at them smiling when Jason looked over at Michael and the next thing Liz knew she was on the ground being tickled. She was laughing so hard that her stomach hurt. She managed to squirm away and jumped up too fast and everything started spinning. Jason jumped up and grabbed her. "You alright?"

She nodded as she grabbed on to his arm. "I'm fine Jason. I just got up too fast."

He frowned. "Let's go back."

"No…..really…" She yelped as Jason swept her up into his arms.

Michael ran in front of them and Jason hurried back to the house.

Sonny came running out because Michael told them that Liz was hurt.

"I'm fine." Elizabeth said loudly. "Really, I just got dizzy for a second. Jason, put me down."

Jason put her down on the deck. "I'm sorry. I just got scared."

She touched his face. "I'm okay. I'm going to run to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Sonny looked up at Jason. "You okay?"

Jason sat on the steps. "I guess I over reacted a little."

"It's understandable under the circumstances. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Jason took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth looked in the mirror. Was it starting? "No." She said out loud. She was just dizzy because she got up too fast. It was nothing and she was fine. She had to be. The panic started to build, slamming its way up her body. "Oh God." She said trying to catch her breath. Knocking the hand soap over in her haste to grip the sink, she sunk to the floor clutching her hands to her chest as she started to sob. It was like she had let out all the emotions she had held onto for months.

Carly heard her and put Morgan down in the playpen. She went to the bathroom door. "Liz?" She asked. Hearing the woman sobbing, she opened the door and went in. "Oh muffin." She said sitting next to her on the carpet. She pulled her into her and Liz's body shook with sobs.

Morgan started to fuss and Michael came to the door. "Mommy, Morgan is hungry."

"Go get your daddy baby."

Michael ran out to the deck where his father and Jason were still sitting. "Morgan's hungry and Mom is with Liz in the bathroom. She's crying."

Sonny and Jason looked at each other for a second and then jumped up and ran into the house.

Jason was just walking into the doorway when Carly basically shut the door in his face. She felt like Liz needed to cry and get herself together before she talked to Jason about it.

Liz finally pushed back. "Sorry for crying all over you."

Carly shook her head. "You don't have to apologize for anything Elizabeth. You want to tell me why you just had a breakdown in the middle of the bathroom?"

Liz wiped her face. "I lost my balance outside. Honestly, I just stood up to fast after Jason and Michael had been tickling me. But Jason panicked and picked me up. I made him put me down and came in here and then my mind just started going crazy…."

"And you thought that maybe you were starting to get sick?"

She nodded. "It just hit me and I got upset."

Carly sighed. "There's no rulebook on how to handle this. You just have to do the best you can. Sometimes, you're going to get upset. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Liz nodded. "You're right."

Carly stood up and helped her stand. "Wash your face and then come out when you're ready. I'm sure Jason is pacing a hole in the carpet."

"Okay."

Carly left and went out and sat down on the couch. "I'm going to either be an alcoholic or a druggie by the time this ends. She's breaking my heart." Carly said fighting back the tears.

Sonny hugged his wife. "I love you baby."

Carly gripped him tighter. "I love you too."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth walked into their bedroom. Jason was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. She stood in front of him and he looked up at her. She could tell he had cried. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

He pulled her closer and rested his head on her stomach and just held her before finally picking her up and laying her on the bed. They faced each other.

"I know I panicked. I'm sorry." He said softly.

"It's okay. I understand. The gravity of it all of this just hit me and I lost it."

He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. "We'll get through this."

"Are you sure you still want to?"

He pulled her closer. "I'm not leaving you Elizabeth. You have my heart. Face it, you're stuck with me."

Elizabeth gave him a little smile. "I love being stuck with you."

Jason kissed her gently at first but it quickly deepened. She was everything and his kiss left her breathless; wanting so much more.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Michael pushed it open and handed Jason a bottle of water. "That's for Elizabeth. Mom said she needs to stay hyderatred."

Jason smiled at his mispronunciation. "Hydrated."

"That's what I said." He quipped before walking back out of the room.

Elizabeth sat up and drank some water. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

Jason was hungry, but it wasn't for food.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

They spent the rest of the day playing games with Michael and Sonny made dinner. They had sat around talking for a while and then decided to go to bed early. Morgan was fussy and Carly knew it would be a long night.

Jason laid in bed with Elizabeth in his arms. "I want you to see my friend Robin over at General Hospital. She's a doctor and specializes in research and rare diseases."

"I guess that is fine."

"I'll call her when we get back. I just want to make sure that you are taken care of."

"I would have my records transferred, but I'm scared that Ric will try to make a connection."

"Elizabeth, what happens if Ric shows up here?"

Liz thought for a moment. "I don't know. When I left, we had been engaged. I left him a note with the ring and explained that I couldn't marry him. But, I'll never go back to him again. I was right to leave him the first time."

Jason held her tighter. "Was he physically violent with you?"

"Well, he grabbed me a few times, but he never hit me. It was more that he was controlling and tried to manipulate me."

"Sometimes emotional abuse is worse."

"I wish I had made different choices in the past. I think that the only reason I was with Ric was to make everyone else happy."

"Well now it's time to make sure that you are happy."

Elizabeth smiled. "You make me very happy Jason. I really wish that things could be different."

"Me too. But, I don't regret being with you at all."

She touched his face and kissed him. Jason slowly trapped her lips between his and flicked his tongue along her seam. Elizabeth moaned and his tongue fond hers and soon they were fully making out.

"You make me feel so good." Elizabeth said softly.

"There are no words for how you make me feel Elizabeth. I think I started to fall in love with you the first week that you worked for me."

Elizabeth smiled. "You love me?"

Jason nodded. "I do love you very much."

Tears started to flood her eyes. "I love you too." She said looking into his eyes. "And it's the most amazing feeling that I've ever had."

Jason kissed her again, this time it was hot and slow. Everything about her mouth turned him on and he couldn't get enough.

There was a knock on the door and Jason pulled back. "Hold on." He yelled as he jumped out of bed and tried to get himself together. He stepped to the side and slightly pulled the door open. "Sonny?"

"Jason, we have to go."

"What's wrong?"

"Morgan has a fever and Carly wants to take him to the ER."

"Do you need us to come with you?"

Sonny shook his head. "No, we're fine. You guys stay."

"Do you need help packing up the car?"

"No, it's already done. Everyone's in the car waiting for me."

"Alright, just text me later and let me know how he is."

Sonny smiled. "Will do." He said turning to leave.

Jason shut the door and got back into the bed.


	11. Chapter 11 – Unexpected Guests

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! Really appreciate you taking the time to comment. This is rated MA.

Chapter 11 – Unexpected Guests

Elizabeth was nervous. "Do you think he'll be alright?"

"Hopefully. I remember a few times when I took Michael and it was scary but he was fine after a few days."

Liz nodded.

"Now, where were we?" Jason asked.

Elizabeth smiled shyly. "I think you were kissing me."

Jason smiled. "Do you mind if I kiss you again?"

"I was actually hoping that you would."

Jason tasted her sweet lips again. His kissed her so deeply and hungrily that Elizabeth was almost frantic with want.

"Jason, please make love to me. I know you were trying to wait for the perfect moment. But every moment with you is perfection. Please take me. I'm yours." She said emotionally.

Jason yanked her into his body and crushed her lips with his as Liz straddled his hips. She could feel his erection growing between them and she started to grind her pelvis into it. Jason groaned at the contact and stuck his hand under her tee shirt and squeezed her naked breast as he rubbed his thumb over the nipple. The sensation sent a chill through her body and Jason quickly got her shirt off and kissed around her nipple and then swirled his tongue over it. He nipped and sucked for a few moments and then threw her back onto the bed and then pulled her bottoms and underwear off. "Beautiful." He whispered before kissing his way up her leg.

"Oh God Jason, please, I need you inside of me now."

He ran his finger over her clit and then inserted his finger and Liz's hips jumped off of the bed. She began to thrust against them when he added another and they brushed against her g spot causing her to thrash her head from side to side. Jason loved how noisy she was and knew he had to have her now. She murmured something incoherent as he suddenly pulled out and opening her eyes she bit her lip at the sight of him putting on a condom. She almost came right then. And then suddenly he was back on top of her and his cock rested at her entrance. "You just don't know what you do to me." He breathed out before pushing inside of her. Elizabeth screamed his name as he rocked his hips and filled her up completely. He stopped and they stared into each other eyes and then Jason pulled almost all the way out and slammed back in; causing her to moan loudly. "Again." She yelled as Jason drove himself into her again. The sensation was so mind blowing that he had to stop so he didn't come. "How do you want it baby?" He asked.

She gasped for breath. "I want it hard Jason." She begged as he started to piston in and out. And right before Jason started to cum, she raked her hands down his back and screamed as her body shook and trembled beneath him and he released himself inside of her.

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They laid in each others arms, tired and completely satisfied. Neither had spoken. He felt her shake and looked down and realized she was crying.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, suddenly wishing he had been more gentle.

"No…it's not that."

"Talk to me."

"It's just never been like that before. It was almost overwhelming but so raw and beautiful. Thank you." She said quietly.

Jason hugged her tighter. "It's never been like this for me either. I love you Elizabeth. You make me feel things that I didn't think I was capable of feeling. Thank you."

They fell asleep; their bodies intertwined, both of them feeling loved.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The next afternoon they drove back. They decided to stop by Sonny's house first and went inside.

"Hey guys."

"How's Morgan?"

"He's fussy but his fever is down."

"Are they upstairs?"

"Yeah, go on up." Sonny said smiling.

Courtney came barreling through the door. "Sonny…..Oh Jason hello." She said smiling.

Jason sat down, wishing he were anywhere but there.

Sonny hugged her and she plopped down next to Jason on the couch.

"Would you like to get some lunch with me?" She asked him.

"I'm really not hungry Courtney."

"Well, you can watch me eat then. Come on." She said trying to grab his hand.

"Courtney, I can't go with you."

"Why?"

"Because I'm here with Elizabeth and she's upstairs."

"So, ditch her? She's just your employee. I'm sure one of the guards can give her a ride back to wherever she came from."

Sonny shook his head and rubbed his temple.

Jason was losing his patience. "Courtney, I love Elizabeth. We are together. I'm not going to lunch with you especially since you can't seem to keep your damn hands to yourself."

Courtney's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Elizabeth walked back into the room.

Jason smiled. "Hey." He said standing up and giving her a kiss.

Courtney almost choked on her tongue. "This is a joke right? I'm being punk'd?"

Elizabeth looked over at her with a smirk. "Hi Courtney."

She stood up. "There is no way in hell that I will let some little nothing like you steal him from me." She yelled.

"Are you delusional? How can I steal something that wasn't yours to begin with?"

Courtney was fuming. "He was meant to be with me."

Jason looked at Sonny who was shaking his head. Carly came downstairs carrying Morgan. "What the hell is going on down here?"

Courtney looked up at Carly. "Did you know about this?" She said pointing to Jason who had pulled Elizabeth into his arms.

Carly smiled. "Yes, I did. Isn't it great?"

Courtney grabbed her purse. "I will get you back for this and you won't even see me coming." She growled at Elizabeth as she stomped out of the room.

"Cuckoo." Carly said sitting down. Morgan smiled. "Your Aunt Courtney is crazy." She said scrunching her face which made him giggle.

"Well, on that note, I think we'll be going." Jason said.

"Sorry about that." Sonny said to Elizabeth.

"It's not your fault Sonny." Liz said. "See you later Carly."

"Bye."

Courtney was livid. There was no way she was going to let Elizabeth get away with this. She couldn't even understand why Jason would even be interested in someone like her. It just didn't make any sense. If she got rid of Elizabeth, she could have Jason all to herself again. So, that was what she was going to do.

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Elizabeth watched Jason kiss his way up her body after his tongue had just given her an earth shattering orgasm. He made her body feel so damn good. It was like she went into an abyss of pleasure that she never wanted to find her way out of. Lining himself up, she swallowed him up as he plunged into her heat and wetness. They both groaned at the sensation. He rolled over and she began to rise and fall above him. Her hair was thrown back and her breasts bounced and Jason took it all in. He grabbed her hand and placed it on her clit and Elizabeth looked down at him with surprise.

"Touch yourself baby." He whispered as she slowly smiled and began to rub her clit and moan. He grabbed her hips and began to thrust hard and she came on his cock yelling his name as he erupted inside of her.

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Paris – 2 Days Later

Courtney walked into the little café to get some coffee. She ordered and sat down at a table.

"Courtney Matthews?"

"Ric Lansing? Wow, I haven't seen you in ages."

Ric smiled. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Ric had met Courtney in New York while he was doing some business.

"No, please have a seat."

He sat down and got comfortable.

"What are you doing in Paris?" She asked curiously.

"I'm looking for someone."

She frowned. "This sounds like it's going to be a good story."

Ric shrugged. "I don't know. I tried a few places I knew she always wanted to visit but there's still no sign of her. Obviously, she doesn't want to be found."

"Does this person have a name?" She asked. Ric didn't seem like the type to go chasing around the globe for some bitch who left him.

"Her name is Elizabeth."

Courtney's eyes furrowed. "Really? Do you have a picture?"

He nodded and took out his wallet and handed it to her.

Courtney smirked. "Look no further, I know exactly where she is and you're not going to be happy about."

"Why?"

"Because your two timing bitch stole my boyfriend."

Ric stared at Courtney for a minute. "Where is she?"

"Port Charles, New York." Courtney said with a smile. "She works for Corinthos/Morgan".

Ric stood up. "I've got to go." He said leaving some money on the table.

She grinned as she watched him run out and called her travel agent to book her on a flight back home. She was going to be there when Jason's world fell apart.

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The next day, Jason and Elizabeth walked into General Hospital. Robin walked up to them smiling and gave Jason a hug.

"So, this is Elizabeth?" She said smiling.

"Hello Dr. Scorpio, thank you for seeing me." Elizabeth said smiling.

"Well, follow me, I'm going to do a whole workup and see what's going on."

"Can I come back with her?"

Robin saw the worried look on Jason's face. "For some of it. Don't worry, we'll get down to the bottom of this." She said leading them to an exam room.

Two hours later, Elizabeth and Jason walked out of the hospital hoping for the best.

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That evening, Max opened the inner door at Greystone and called out, "Boss, there's a bunch of people out here that are looking for Elizabeth."

Sonny frowned. "Send them in."

He watched as four people walked into the room. He studied them all for a second before speaking up. "Please sit down."

They all sat down on the couch, slightly intimated by the man standing in front of him. "What do you want with Elizabeth?"

"We're her family. I'm her sister Sarah and this is her parents Jeff and Andrea. Ric is her fiancé."

Sonny was confused. "Her fiancé? From what I know, she broke up with you before she left home."

Ric scowled. "She was upset and didn't know what she was doing. Is she here or not?" Ric said impatiently.

Sonny made a phone call. "Jason, you need to come over to my house asap."

Jason sighed. "Is it business?"

"No, but it's really important."

"Alright, I'll be there in ten."

Elizabeth smiled. "What's wrong?"

"Sonny wants to see me."

"Can I come with you?"

Jason smiled. "Sure, he said it wasn't business."

They walked to the car and Jason drove them over to Greystone.


	12. Chapter 12 – Coming Unglued

A/N – Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 12 – Coming Unglued

Jason and Elizabeth were holding hands and laughing as they went into the house. That all stopped when they stepped through the door and Elizabeth saw who was waiting for them.

"Oh my God." She said before her legs started to give out and Jason caught her. Her family gasped as Jason picked her up and they scattered so he could lay her onto the couch.

Before Jason could react, Ric pushed him aside and ran to her. "Elizabeth sweetie, wake up."

Liz's mom started to cry.

"Elizabeth, open your eyes sweetie. It's your father."

Sarah looked at Jason. He was gorgeous and she smirked thinking about what fun Elizabeth must be having with him. He was the anti-Ric. "Has she been sick?" She asked Jason.

"No, she's been fine."

Her mom wiped a tear away. "Well, that's a relief."

Elizabeth finally woke up and found herself staring into Ric's eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Ric frowned. "I came to bring you home. You need your family around you at a time like this, not total strangers."

Elizabeth sat up. "They are not total strangers, they are my friends."

"Elizabeth, how could you leave like you did? You had us worried sick." Her mother asked.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't want you to have to watch me die." She said quietly.

Her mom pulled her into her arms. "We're family and family is supposed to stick together."

Jason felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He had an overwhelming sense that he had lost her.

"No….no…no…." She murmured as she stood up and moved away from them. "I can't do this. You have to go."

Elizabeth's mom stood up. "You are asking me to just leave you here and pretend that you are not sick? Well, I won't do it. I love you Elizabeth. Please come home. I'm begging you." Her mom started to collapse and her dad sat her down.

"Elizabeth, your mother has been a mess since you disappeared. It's worse not knowing where you are and how you are. Don't you get that?'

Elizabeth started to cry. "I'm sorry. I never met to hurt you. I just thought it would be better and you were smothering me."

Ric walked up to her and touched her arms. Jason wanted to punch him in the face. "Elizabeth, please, don't you know how much we all love you?"

She nodded. "I do." She said trying to get herself together as she squirmed away from him and stood up. "But not once in this entire conversation did you ask me what I wanted. It's like you don't care. I'm the one dying dammit." She yelled.

Carly had been listening at the top of the stairs and she rushed down them and pulled Elizabeth into her arms, knocking Ric back, and hugged her as she sobbed. "You need to stop this. It's upsetting her." Carly said.

Jason looked at Ric. "How did you find her?"

Ric wasn't expecting that question. "Through a private investigator."

"I don't believe you."

Sarah sat down and watched what she hoped was the beginning of Ric getting his face bashed in. She had never liked him.

Ric's jaw clenched. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"I'm Jason Morgan."

"Well Jason, I don't have to explain anything to you. Elizabeth is my fiancé."

"No she isn't. She broke up with you."

"She was upset. She was ill. Elizabeth knows I love her and want nothing but the best for her."

Elizabeth didn't feel well. It was just too much. She started to pass out in Carly's arms. "Jason." Carly yelled.

Jason ran over and picked her up and sat down in a chair with her. He hugged her tightly and softly spoke to her. "It's okay baby. I won't let anyone hurt you. Everything will be okay. I promise."

Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open. "Jason." She said softly.

"Shhhh.. You're safe."

Elizabeth's father stood up. "You act like we're the enemy. We're her parents Mr. Morgan."

Jason just stared at him. He didn't know what to do. And while he understood why they were upset, what Elizabeth wanted was all that mattered to him.

Liz turned her head and looked at them. "You should go." She said softly.

"Please Elizabeth, please come with us. You can stay in your sister's room with her at the hotel. We just want to spend some time with you. If you decide afterwards that you want to stay here, then we'll figure something out. We haven't seen you in months and thought that you were dead. Can you please just give us some time?" Jeff pleaded.

Elizabeth looked up at Jason. She felt so guilty. She was hurting everyone and that had never been her intention.

"I need to speak to Jason alone." She said softly.

Jason stood up and carried her into the kitchen before setting her down. "What do you want to do?" He asked feeling really vulnerable.

"Maybe I should go with them. Just for tonight. I won't leave with them. But, I think I owe them at least a few hours after what I put them through."

He pulled her into him and hugged her. "If that's what you want, then I will agree. I just hate to let you out of my sight."

She looked up at him and kissed him. "I love you Jason. I will always love you. I'll see you in the morning okay?"

He nodded. "I love you more than anything." He said kissing her softly.

She reluctantly broke away from him and after she disappeared, Jason sunk to the floor. She wasn't coming back, he just knew it.

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Elizabeth walked back into the living room. "I will come with you back to the hotel. But, I'm not going back home with you."

Her mother hugged her tightly. "Thank you." She said softly crying.

They left. Carly jumped up and ran to the kitchen. "Oh Jason." She said sitting next to him on the floor as he completely broke down. She cradled his head in her lap as she stroked his hair. Sonny looked at them and turned and walked away. He couldn't bare to see Jason like that.

"She's going to leave." Jason said softly.

"She loves you. She'll come back."

"They are her family."

"And you are the man that she loves. Don't give up Jason, please." She begged.

Jason closed his eyes. He wanted to believe that Liz would choose him but his instincts were telling him the opposite. It would have been hard enough to watch her die, but it would even harder to watch her walk away willingly.

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Elizabeth walked into the hotel room and sat down. Ric got her some water and handed her a cup.

She took a big gulp. "Thank you."

Sarah sat down next to her. "Are you okay? We can go to my room."

"I'm fine. This is just really hard. I know that you all love me but I don't think that I can go back home."

"Elizabeth, we just want what's best for you. Why won't you let us help you?" Ric asked.

"Because it's not fair." She said angrily. "And this is my life and I get to decide how I live it. And we aren't even together anymore Ric." She said standing up. She immediately got dizzy. "Oh.." She said before Ric grabbed her and sat her back down.

"Are you okay?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I just got a little dizzy."

"Dr. Devlin said that the symptoms could start any time. I think we need to get you home so he can examine you." Ric said.

"No…no, I can get examined here." Liz said pushing his hand away. "I'm not leaving Jason."

Ric ignored her although her mentioning Jason's name infuriated him. "Drink some more." Ric said watching her closely as she drank.

"I'm just really tired." She stood up, blinked a few times, and then collapsed as her mother yelled her name.

"That's it. We're taking her home." Ric said. "Call Dr. Devlin, the plane is still on standby."

Jeff pulled out his phone and dialed.

Ric picked her up and they all left the room and headed to the airport.

Elizabeth slept through most of the ride. They got her to the hospital where she was admitted. She hadn't woke up yet and her family anxiously waited for Dr. Devlin to arrive.

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Carly shut off the light in the living room. She had finally convinced Jason to let her help him to the couch where he had eventually fallen into a fitful sleep. She was scared. He was so broken and he was breaking her heart. Jason wasn't the type to breakdown like he did and she realized just how desperately in love he was with Elizabeth.

Climbing up the stairs, she headed to her bedroom and climbed in bed and cried against Sonny's chest. Somehow, they would get him through this even if she had to put a guard on him. Jason did stupid things when he was really upset and she was determined to make sure that he didn't get hurt any more than he already was.

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Elizabeth slowly woke up and tried to focus. "Jason." She muttered softly to Ric's chagrin.

"Elizabeth, it'sRic."

She jumped. "Ric? Where's Jason?" She said looking around the room. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital back home."

"What?"

"You collapsed. We brought you back so Dr. Devlin could evaluate your condition."

She frowned. "But, I need to explain to Jason what happened."

"I left him a note and told him where you were."

She relaxed back. "Okay, just make sure that you bring him to me when he gets here."

Ric nodded. "You rest okay? I won't leave you."

She closed her eyes. She didn't understand why she was so tired.

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Jason got up and listened to Michael ramble on and on. He was there physically, but mentally he could only think about Elizabeth. He had waited long enough. Standing up, he announced that he was going to the hotel.

"Be careful." Carly said.

Johnny drove him to make sure he wasn't careless. When they got to the hotel, Jason walked up to the front desk and asked for them to call up to one of the rooms.

"Your name sir?"

"Jason Morgan."

She smiled. "Mr. Morgan, this was left for you in the room." She said handing him a letter.

Jason's heart sank. Johnny took him by the arm and they went back to the car and then back to the penthouse. Jason sat on the couch and took a deep breath before opening it.

_My love,_

_I'm so sorry that I have to do this. I'm a coward and didn't think I could do what is right if I had to say this to your face. I left with my parents. It was the right thing to do. I hurt them so badly and I need to go back there with them and make this right. You are the last person that I wanted to hurt. Maybe it's better this way so that you don't have to see me die. Please don't follow me. This is for the best._

_Love,_

_Elizabeth_

"No…no…. Elizabeth." Jason yelled before he started to sob.

Johnny cringed in the hallway as he heard the sound of furniture breaking. He called Carly.

"She left. He's destroying the penthouse."

Carly sighed. "Just let him. Things can be replaced. Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself too badly."

She wanted to ring Elizabeth's neck.

Johnny ended the call and texted Francis to get over there.


	13. Chapter 13 – Test Results

A/N – Thanks for comments! I think. Ric is working on his own. The only reason her parents agreed to take her home is because they think she is sick and Devlin was her doctor.

Guest – Liz isn't an idiot. This is her family with whom she had a loving relationship with. She's feeling guilty because they were so hurt that she left and she has no idea about what Ric is doing or that he would drug her. * Kikimoo – Yes, her parents are wimpy and desperate too.

Two chapters today!

Chapter 13 – Test Results

A few days later when Jason didn't come Elizabeth was a complete mess. She was inconsolable. They kept her sedated because Dr. Devlin said it wasn't good for her condition. Ric stayed by her side; only leaving to shower. He knew she'd get over Jason and maybe even hate him for not fighting for her.

Dr. Devlin walked into the room and her parents stood up.

"Did you get the test back?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry, but Elizabeth is very ill. Maybe if she had been here, I could have done something to slow it down. But, I'm afraid the scans don't lie."

"How long does she have?"

"A few days, maybe a week."

Andrea was hysterical. Dr. Devlin had to sedate her and Sarah went and stayed in another room with her mother.

Ric cried and held her hand as he told her about how much he loved her. A few hours later, his phone rang.

"I'm in the stairwell."

"I'll be right there."

Ric got up and pretended he was going to the bathroom. "Hello Courtney." He said smiling. "Did you get what I asked for?"

She smiled. "I certainly did." She said handing him a box.

"Good girl. You won't regret this."

"I know I won't. I just have to make sure I'm there to pick up the pieces of Jason's broken heart."

Ric smiled. "You get Jason, and I get Elizabeth. It's perfect really."

She grinned. "Have a nice life."

"You too."

He watched her walk down the stairs and headed back to the room. In another day, Elizabeth would be his forever. Jeff left the room to go check on his wife and Ric made his move.

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Jason stayed in Elizabeth's apartment for almost 2 days; not communicating with anyone. He ached for her and he had finally made up his mind that he was going to go after her and convince her to change her mind.

"Johnny." He said into the phone. "I need a small plane. We're going to get Elizabeth."

Johnny smiled. "You got it." He said relieved that Jason didn't take his usual stance and just abide by other people's wishes.

Turning on the shower, he got in and began to wash his hair. He was going to get his girl back. He wouldn't leave until she agreed that they would be together again.

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Ric quickly injected Elizabeth with the syringe that Courtney had provided. Dr. Devlin had been great about going along with his plan to make Elizabeth think she was dying. The plan was always to have her miraculously get better once she agreed that they would be married. But the game had changed and he was upping the anty without the doctor's knowledge.

"You might not understand why I'm doing this but I love you Elizabeth. You mean everything to me. When you left me, it was like all the good in my life left too. No one has ever loved me but you. You were like my angel. Nothing I have done was out of malice. I deeply love and need you and I think I could make you really happy. In fact, I would do anything for you except leave you. I can't do it. So, everyone is going to think you're dead. The medicine I gave you will slow your heart and everyone will think you died. I'm going to take you away from here and then bring you back. And then I'll take care of you and love you like you deserve. I will make you fall back in love with me. I want it all with you baby. And now we finally have a chance." He said softly. The monitors started going crazy and doctors rushed into the room. They tried to revive Elizabeth but they called the time of death right as Jason walked through the door.

"No!" He yelled. "Bring her back. You have to. She has to know that I fought for her."

"What are you doing here?" Ric yelled. "You abandoned her. She was crushed and wouldn't want you here. You have no right."

Her family rushed into the room sobbing. Andrea collapsed again and Jason sunk to the floor in shock.

Johnny dialed his phone. "Carly, I don't even know how to say this."

"Johnny? What happened?"

"Elizabeth just died."

Carly gasped. "Oh my God." She said starting cry. "Jason….where is he?"

"He collapsed. They are taking him to a room. He's in shock."

Carly wiped her face. "Text me the address. I'll get there as soon as I can."

She ended the call and called Sonny and let him know what was going on before kissing Morgan and Michael goodbye. Jason needed her and she was going to be there for him.

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Carly walked into the room. A doctor was standing next to Jason.

"Is he okay?"

The man sighed. "Physically, he's fine but emotionally…"

Carly sat next to the bed. "Has he spoken?"

"No. He just lays there."

Carly wiped a tear away. "Jason, it's Carly. You're scaring me. Please talk to me. I'm not going to leave you until you do. Let me take you home. I love you Jason. Please." She begged.

"Just leave me alone." Jason said softly.

"I can't and I won't." Carly said. "You're stuck with me."

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The next day, Elizabeth's parents supposedly had her cremated. Ric oversaw everything so that they no one suspected anything. It was easy to fake the ashes and he paid off the secretary at the funeral home.

He told them that he was leaving the next morning and wouldn't be back for a while. It was too painful to be there. He had already given Elizabeth another injection to reverse the first one and had her sedated. Slowly, he would bring her back and make her love him and they would be married.

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Robin looked at the test results 5 times. She even had Patrick review them. But, she couldn't find anything wrong with Elizabeth.

"Why would someone want her to think that she was sick?" Patrick asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense. Maybe they were trying to control her. Her phone says out of service and I left a message for Jason but he must be out of town."

"This is crazy. She needs to know as soon as possible."

"If I don't hear back by tomorrow, I'll go see Sonny. I already tried the penthouse but he wasn't there and the guard wouldn't give me any information."

"Just stay on it." Patrick said before giving her a kiss. No one deserved to be lied to like that.

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Carly and Johnny brought Jason home. Carly put him in their guest bedroom so she could look after him.

Jason was stuck in his head. He felt guilty for not running after her right away. She had died thinking that he had abandoned her. Liz must have hated him and even if she didn't, he hated himself for the both of them. He had hurt the one person that meant more than anything to him and now she was gone.

Courtney walked into the room and sat down on the bed. "Jason, I'm so sorry about Elizabeth. But, we all need you and love you. Let us take care of you." She said softly crying. She was shocked that Jason was taking Liz's death so hard. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Go away Courtney." Jason growled.

She sighed and walked out of the room hoping that eventually he'd come around.

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The next day, Elizabeth briefly woke up. Her eyes couldn't focus and she moaned.

Ric grabbed her hand. "It's okay Elizabeth. "You're fine."

She tried to form words but it was like her mouth was broken and it scared her.

"Elizabeth, calm down. The sedative is just making you feel groggy sweetie."

Liz was fighting to stay awake but it was just no use.

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Michael crept into Jason's room. He missed his uncle. Carly had tried to explain to him what had happened and he had cried when he was told Elizabeth was dead. But, he didn't understand why Jason was staying in bed. He climbed into the bed and snuggled against Jason's chest. "Uncle Jason, why are you so tired?"

Jason opened his eyes and looked at Michael. "I'm just sad."

"I'm sad too. I miss her."

Jason swallowed hard. "I miss her too."

"Will you come outside and play with me?"

"Maybe later."

"Can I stay with you awhile?"

"Sure."

Jason threw his arm around Michael and closed his eyes. He missed Elizabeth more than he could put into words.

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Courtney sat on the couch listening to Sonny and Carly discuss Jason when Robin walked inside.

"Robin?" Sonny asked. "What's wrong?"

"I need to find Jason. It's really important."

Sonny stood up. "I'm sorry but Jason can't talk to you right now."

"Sonny, I have been trying to reach him for days. Send word to him. This can't wait."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Robin, aren't you being a little dramatic?"

Robin clenched her jaw. She hated Carly. "Unlike you Carly, I don't seek out Jason just because I broke a nail."

Courtney smirked. She grabbed her purse and left. "I'll be back later."

Everyone ignore her. "This is really important. It's about Elizabeth."

Robin frowned at the look on all their faces.

"Robin, Elizabeth died a few days ago." Carly said.

Robin's face went pale. "Oh my God." She said as Sonny sat her down. "That can't be."

"It was her illness." Sonny said. "It just happened faster than we all anticipated."

Robin shook her head. "No, that can't be it."

"Robin, you're not making sense."

She stood up. "Where is Jason?" She said loudly?

"He's in the guestroom. He's not talking to anyone."

Robin ran upstairs.

"Wait. Where do you think you're going?" Carly said running after her. Sonny followed as Robin rushed into the bedroom.

"Jason." She said softly.

Carly came up behind her and was surprised to see Michael in the room. She had told him to not to come in.

She walked over to him. "Michael, come here." She said taking him into her arms.

Robin sat on the bed next to him. "Jason, it's Robin, I have to tell you something." When he didn't respond she kept talking. "I think Elizabeth is still alive."

Carly gasped and put Michael down. "Go downstairs Michael." She waited for him to leave and then she turned back to Robin. "How dare you come in here and do this to him. Why are you lying? He saw her dead body. Johnny did too."

Robin looked at her. "It must have been a mistake. I ran the tests over and over and had Patrick look at the results too. Elizabeth wasn't sick. There was nothing wrong with her."

Carly gasped. "Oh my God."

Robin looked back at Jason. "Did you hear me Jason? Elizabeth was not sick."

Jason's eyes slowly opened focused in on Robin and he sat up as Robin stood and backed away. Jason glared at her. "Why are you lying to me? I saw her. She was dead and I wasn't there for her. I abandoned her because my feelings were hurt instead of fighting for her." He said emotionally. "Why are you lying?" He yelled.

Robin was crying, "I'm not lying Jason. I swear to you. I'm not."


	14. Chapter 14 – Enforcer Mode

Here's your 2nd chapter for today.

Chapter 14 – Enforcer Mode

Sonny called Johnny and explained the situation and told him to get over to the house.

"Jason, I think Dr. Devlin was lying to her about being sick." Robin said.

Jason couldn't even fathom how someone could be that cruel. He was going to rip the man apart. "I always thought it didn't add up. But, we had him checked out and nothing came up. If Elizabeth is still alive, then where is she?"

Carly called Jeff but Sarah answered. "Hello, this is Carly Corinthos."

"The one from the hospital?"

"Yes."

"How can I help you? Is Jason okay?"

"He's far from okay but I wondered if you could tell me where Ric is right now."

"I'm not sure. He left town. He said that he couldn't stay here.

"Dammit."

"What's going on? Did he do something?"

"I don't even know how to say this but we had a doctor run some tests right before you got here and she says that there was nothing wrong with Elizabeth. That she was not dying."

Sarah's mouth dropped open. "Son of a bitch."

"We need to find Ric."

"I don't want to say anything to my parents until you get more information. But, I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Give me your cell number."

Sarah gave her the number.

"We'll get back to you as soon as we can." Carly ended the call. "Ric left town."

Jason sat up. Johnny stepped into the room.

"Get Stan. We need to find Ric Lansing and Dr. Devlin. Ric might have faked her death."

Johnny nodded and then ran from the room to make a few calls.

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Carly waited for Jason to finish taking a shower. This was a complete and utter mess. If Elizabeth was still alive, she knew that Jason would go to the ends of the earth to find her.

Jason walked into the bedroom and sat down. "I did just what he wanted me to do. I fell apart."

Carly put her arm around her shoulder. "You're only human Jason. You were in love and she left."

"I should have gone after her right away. I just didn't want to be one more person that didn't let her do what she wanted."

Jason's phone rang. It was Johnny letting him know the plane was ready.

"I've got to go track down Devlin. Johnny and I will meet with Sarah. She works at the hospital so she'll be able to lead us to him."

Carly gave Jason one last hug. "Go get your girl back Jason."

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Sarah paced back and forth in her apartment. It was 10:00 p.m. and Jason still hadn't arrived. About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

She opened it and Jason and Johnny came inside.

"Please, have a seat. I had you meet me here so that my parents don't find out. I'm not planning on saying anything until we have proof."

"Did you make the call that I asked you to make?"

She nodded. "He's at the hospital right now. His shift doesn't end until 11 p.m."

"Tell us how to get there from here." Johnny said.

"I'm going with you. I can point him out."

Jason sighed. "I don't want you to be an accessory. You should stay here."

Sarah shifted uncomfortably. She knew who Jason was and Devlin deserved everything he got. "Well, you don't have to finish him off until after I leave. I just need to hear it come out of his mouth. I'll record it. After that, I hope you make him fucking suffer for what he did to Elizabeth." She said seething with anger.

"We'll talk in the car." Jason said relenting. "Let's go."

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They pulled up to the hospital and waited near the employee entrance.

"I've never been on a stake out before." Sarah said smiling.

Johnny smirked.

Sarah bit her lip. He was yummy.

"It's 11:00, let's go." Jason said softly. He turned on the transmitter. "Stan, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"We're moving in. Cut the cameras."

"One second." It was quiet for a few seconds. "Done."

They moved the car towards the entrance. Dr. Devlin came out and walked to his car, but before he could get in, Jason hopped out and put a gun to his head. "Don't you fucking move." He growled.

The Ian held his hands up. "I don't have a lot of cash. Take the car if you want."

"I don't want the car. I want you." He said directing him to the trunk of the car. Johnny popped the trunk and got out. Jason hit Ian over the head and they stuffed him inside and shut it.

They got back into the car.

"Nice work. Remind me never to piss you two off." Sarah quipped.

Johnny shook his head and they drove to the woods.

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Jason tried to keep his anger in check. It would be hard not to rip the man apart. But, they needed information.

They drove deep into the woods.

"Sarah, I want you to sit in the front seat. Do not look out the window and turn the radio up." Jason said. "Do you understand?"

"But…"

"No buts. I will record it. But, you can't be there when I'm trying to get answers. You just can't. It's for your own good."

She nodded. Even though she knew what would happen, it was still a little scary. But, she as far as she was concerned, Ian was getting what he had coming.

Jason and Johnny got out and opened the trunk and pulled Ian out; tying up his hands. Jason grabbed a large duffle bag and a case and they dragged his body to a clearing in the woods. Propping him up against a tree, they made sure he would stay upright and turned on a portable lamp.

"Wake up asshole." Johnny growled as he threw some water on Ian.

He shook it off and looked up at them. "Where am I?"

"I'm the one asking the fucking questions. "Jason growled. "Where did Ric take Elizabeth?"

Ian realized the gravity of the situation and started to panic. "You….you're the one that showed up when she died."

"I am the man she loved and you fucking took her away from me. You lied to her and made her think she was dying. Who the fuck does that?" Jason yelled before punching him in the stomach.

Ian yelled and hunched forward trying to catch his breath. Jason grabbed his hair and pulled him upright. "Talk now or I will tear you apart with my bare hands."

Ian started to tear up. He was scared to death. "I don't know where Ric is. Yes, I helped him make Elizabeth think that she was going to die. But, we were supposed to pretend that she was cured later on. He wanted time to win her back."

"You mean he wanted to control her. Go on."

Tears were running down Ian's face. "When she left, I figured it was over. I was shocked when I got a call from her father saying they were bringing her in. Ric told me to just go along with it. So, I did. I was stunned like everyone else when she coded. He must have given her something."

Jason punched him in the face breaking his nose and Ian howled in pain as blood gushed down his face.

"Tell me something else that is going to help save your life."

Ian spit out some blood. "Please…. I'm sorry."

"You have 5 seconds and then I'm going to beat you to a pulp until you beg me to die." Jason said glaring.

Ian was shaking. "I saw him walk out of the room before Elizabeth coded and I followed him. He went into a stairwell and I peeked inside. It was some blonde lady. She handed him something and then left."

Jason frowned and looked over at Johnny. "Is that all?"

He nodded. "I….I had to hide so he didn't see me. By the time I got back to the room, Elizabeth was gone."

Jason let him go. "Why did you do it?"

Ian though that maybe Jason was backing on. "He was blackmailing me. He would have ruined my career."

Jason shook his head. "Elizabeth thought she was dying for months. Do you even understand how devastated she was? Her family is grieving for her right now and that fucking psycho Ric is drugging her and doing god knows what to her. Every time I hit you, think of Elizabeth and what you did." He growled.

Jason went into a rage kicking and punching Ian until he was completely out of breath. Ian wasn't even conscious anymore.

Johnny tried to feel for a pulse. "He's dead."

Jason walked away for a minute to catch his breath and calm down; wishing he had kept him alive longer so he could hit him again. They stuffed him into the duffel bag and then Jason took off the gloves and wiped any blood that got on him off. He pulled off his tee shirt and jeans and Johnny handed him a new set of clothes and boots. They bagged his old stuff and then they both grabbed a handle and carried the body back to the car. Ian was stuffed into the trunk. Sarah got out and quietly went into the backseat. She could tell that Jason was upset and didn't say anything. When they got inside Johnny had Stan play her the confession part back.

Wiping away a tear, she cried for Elizabeth and all the pain that her sister endured. Jason was exhausted.

"Can….can one of you sleep at my apartment or I can sleep on a couch in your hotel room." Sarah said quietly.

Johnny cleared his throat. "I have to handle a few things. You can stay in the hotel. I have 2 doubles."

"Thank you." She felt safe with them and she just didn't want to be alone after what happened.

Johnny pulled up to the hotel and he handed Sarah a key to his room. She got out with Jason and Johnny drove on.

"He won't be back until later. Are you going to be okay?" Jason asked.

"I'll be fine. Thank you for what you did."

Jason nodded. "I would do anything for your sister."

Sarah nodded and went into the room and immediately climbed into one of the beds knowing that she probably wouldn't sleep until Johnny returned.

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Jason took a shower and settled in for the night. Stan was hacking into the hospital security system to try and get some footage of who the blonde woman was that Ric conspired with. Hopefully, he'd have some more information in the morning. "I'm coming Elizabeth." He said softly before closing his eyes. He wouldn't stop until he found her.

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Johnny finally came back to the room and took a shower and got into bed. He was tired.

Sarah turned over and looked at him.

"Why are you still awake?"

"I don't know. I guess I just have a lot on my mind. Tonight was….well let's just say it was a new experience and I'm also really worried about Elizabeth. Part of me thinks that Ric won't hurt her physically, but then on the other hand he is drugging her." She said before going silent.

"Jason had a complete melt down when he thought he lost her. He's not going to give up Sarah."

"This whole thing is truly bizarre."

"Welcome to my world." Johnny said smiling.

"Thank you again for letting me stay here; especially since you don't know me at all."

"Well if you're anything like your sister…"

"Oh trust me, I'm not. Let me just lay that out right now. I can be a bitch, although her bitchy look is pretty epic and unmatched. And I'm sarcastic and way more high maintenance than her. But, what we do have in common is that we're both fighters. I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."

"You have spunk. I like that."

Sarah smiled. "You have a girlfriend Johnny?"

"Hell no."

"Well, you might have one by the end of this trip." She said smirking before she turned back over.

Johnny chuckled. "Many a woman has tried."

"But you have never met a woman like me before Johnny."

Johnny grinned. Sarah Webber was getting more and more interesting.


	15. Chapter 15 – What is the Truth?

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! Glad you guys are still liking this one. Ric's days are of course numbered.

Chapter 15 – What is the Truth?

The next morning, Johnny and Jason went to Sarah's apartment so she could take a shower and change before they went to see her parents.

"So, I want to come with you when you locate Elizabeth."

"I don't think that is a good idea. It could be dangerous." Jason said.

"Perhaps you didn't understand that I wasn't really asking. We have no idea what kind of condition she is in and I'm a doctor. I can help. Besides, you never know when having a woman on your side can come in handy."

Johnny chuckled at the look on Jason's face. "It's your call."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sarah, if you're going to come along, you have to listen to us. Sometimes, you only get a split second to react. There is no time to argue."

Sarah nodded. "Okay. Let me throw some clothes in a bag and then we can hop into the mystery machine and get going."

Jason shook his head. "Do you know what the hell she is talking about?"

Johnny smiled and nodded yes.

"I hate pop culture." Jason said standing up. "Telling her parents is not going to be easy."

"We have to just in case Ric gets in touch with them."

"I don't think he will. He has what he wants. There is no need to save face. I don't think he had any intention on coming back here."

Sarah walked out of her room. "Okay Shaggy and Fred, let's go."

"I better be Fred." Johnny mumbled.

"Sorry but hot stuff over there is Fred. I can already see him rocking an ascot."

"Fine Velma."

"Oh hell no. I'm definitely more Daphne. Elizabeth can be Velma."

Johnny shook his head. "Women."

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Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open. She turned and looked at the heart machine next to her and the saline bag. She was in a bedroom not a hospital. Maybe she had gotten sick and they had taken her to some kind of hospice care. She tried to think of the last thing she could remember. Jason….she was waiting for Jason but he never showed up and she was upset. Ric was there trying to calm her down.

A tear slid down her face. She couldn't believe that Jason didn't come after her. It just didn't make sense. He said that he loved her. And her sadness was soon replaced with worry when she thought that maybe he was hurt and couldn't get to her.

Ric opened the door. "Well look who is awake." He said smiling.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a safe place. We're managing your care."

"Where are my parents?"

"They were here a few times but they had to go back."

"None of this makes any sense. Where is Jason?"

Ric sat on the bed next to her. "I assume he's at home."

"He never came?"

"I'm sorry Elizabeth. He didn't. I know that you thought he loved you."

"He does love me."

"All I know is that if I knew you were in the hospital, you couldn't keep me away."

Elizabeth wiped a tear away.

"I'm so sorry he hurt you." He said taking her hand. "I hate to see you so upset. But, I promise you that I will not leave you. I love you Elizabeth. I know I haven't always shown you in the right way but I think if you let me prove myself that maybe someday you'll have feelings for me too."

Elizabeth didn't say anything. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. "I can't talk about that right now."

"It's okay. You should get some rest." He said leaving. She hadn't turned him down completely, so he took that as a step in the right direction.

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Jason and Johnny followed Sarah into the Webber residence.

"What are you doing here?" Andrea said snidely. Jeff pulled her closer to him.

"Mother, Jason is here because a doctor back in Port Charles had tests done on Elizabeth and they say that she was never sick."

Andrea's face went pale. "What? But that is ridiculous. We got a second opinion."

"How dare you come into this house after all we've been through and make these kinds of accusations." Jeff yelled.

"And Sarah, how could you bring them here?" Andrea said angrily.

"Mother, we have proof that Dr. Devlin lied."

Andrea sat down on the couch.

"Where is this proof?" Jeff asked.

Jason played the recording of Ian and Andrea and Jeff were completely quiet for a few minutes.

"How do you know that he just didn't say that so you'd stop beating him?" Jeff asked.

Sarah knelt down in front of her mother. "Ric did this. He orchestrated all of it. Why would Dr. Devlin make something up like that? Elizabeth was completely healthy the whole time she was in Port Charles. I was thinking a lot about the night she died when we were at the hotel that night. She was fine until she drank the water that Ric got her and then she suddenly collapses and he orders us to come home so Dr. Devlin can examine her. We should have taken her to the nearest hospital. Ric has been searching everywhere for Elizabeth. He even went to Italy and lastly Paris. He was desperate to find her."

"He loved her." Andrea said softly. She was holding on by a thread and it mortified her to think that Ric could do something so horrible.

"Make no mistake about it, he was obsessed with her. She is not dead. Have her freaking ashes analyzed. I will guarantee it that whatever is in that damn container is not my sister." She said standing up. "You have pushed that monster on her for years. Stop defending him. He took your little girl and she needs all of our help to get her back."

Sarah stood over by Johnny and he pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug as she finally broke down and cried.

Jeff collapsed onto the couch. "She's right. Elizabeth didn't even want to be with Ric and we kept pushing her at him because we thought he'd be good for her. I'm her father. I'm supposed to protect her and I've let her down so badly. I had no idea. He was always so nice when he was around us."

Andrea pulled him closer. "Now what?"

Jason sighed. "We've all made mistakes. I'm going after her and I will bring her back. I am so in love with your daughter. I will do anything to bring her home."

Jeff stood up and pulled Jason aside. "I know who you are and what you do for a living. And I want that bastard dead. I don't give a shit how you do it but I want him to suffer."

Jason nodded. "That's a give in."

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Jason picked up his phone. "Hello?"

"Jason, where are you?"

"Courtney?"

"I called because we're all worried about you."

Jason sighed. "I'm fine."

"Why don't you come home and let us take care of you."

"Hold on Courtney, I've got another call."

"Stan?"

"Jason, the woman Ric spoke to was Courtney. I'm sorry man."

Jason cursed under his breath. "Good work."

Taking a deep breath to hide his anger, he switched back to the other line, "Courtney, I'm fine."

"When are you coming home?"

"Probably in a few days."

Courtney smiled. "Good. I'll be here waiting."

"Courtney is Carly around?"

"Yeah, hold on."

"Jason?"

"Hey, can you step away from her please?"

Carly went into the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"Did anyone tell Courtney that we think Elizabeth is alive?"

"I don't think so. We didn't think you wanted anyone to know until you had more proof."

"Oh, I have proof. Carly, Courtney was working with Ric. We have footage of her at the hospital."

Carly was stunned. "I'm going to rip that bitch's hair out."

Jason smiled. "Tell Francis I need him to take Courtney to a safe house. Don't let her know anything is up. We're on our way."

"You got it."

Johnny watched Jason walk back towards them. "We need to go back to Port Charles."

Johnny made a call to get the helicopter fueled and ready. "What's going on?"

"Courtney was the blonde at the hospital."

"Unfuckingbelievable." Johnny muttered. "What are you going to do?"

"Francis is going to take her to a safe house. I want to question her."

"Are you going to talk to Sonny? If she did what she did then what are you going to do with her?'

Jason was seething. He usually didn't hurt women but he wanted to kill her right now. "I don't know."

Johnny turned back to the Webbers. "We got a lead. We're going back to Port Charles."

"I'm going with you." Sarah said.

"Okay Velma." Johnny muttered.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Daphne. Get it straight Shaggy or no Scooby snacks for you."

Johnny smirked and held the door for her. He wouldn't mind having her Scooby snacks for sure.

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Sonny sat back in his office as he listened to Carly give him an update.

"She went too far Sonny." Carly said. It had taken everything within her not to punch Courtney in the face. She had lied to her and told her that there was a threat and Jason was on the way so that Courtney would go with Francis peacefully.

"Don't you think I know that?" He said angrily. Even though Courtney was a pain in his ass she was his sister and deciding her fate was not something he took lightly.

"From what Stan showed us, she had something in her hand. I think she gave Ric the drug that he gave Elizabeth to fake her death."

Sonny buried his head in his hands.

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Jason walked into Sonny's office. "Hey." He said sitting down. He could tell by the look on Sonny's face that he was torn.

"We might as well not beat around the bush. What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to go talk to her and find out what she knows. If she won't tell me willingly, then I'll torture it out of her."

Sonny's head snapped up. Both men stared at each other a few minutes. When Sonny didn't say anything, Jason stood up. "I won't do anything….permanent..without speaking to you first."

Sonny nodded. "Thank you."

"But you have to know that Courtney is going to die for this."

He watched Jason walk out and then went into the living room and got himself a drink knowing that Courtney had brought all of this on herself.


	16. Chapter 16 - Disentangle

A/N – Thanks for the comments! Lol Guest – re: dead=permanent – Jason was just giving him a professional courtesy that he wouldn't kill her without discussing it but that death was inevitable. lol

Chapter 16 - Disentangle

Jason entered the safe house. Johnny and Sarah stayed on the porch.

"Jason." Courtney said running up to him and trying to hug him.

He stopped her mid-jump and pushed her down on the couch.

"What's wrong? Why did you do that?"

Jason picked up a vase and threw it across the room as Courtney's mouth dropped open. His chest was heaving and his eyes were full of rage. "Tell me where Ric is Courtney." He barked.

Courtney's mouth dropped open for a second but she quickly recovered. "Ric?"

Jason got right up in her face. "Don't fuck with me right now Courtney."

She sat back furthering to create some distance between them but Jason wasn't having it. He put his hand around her throat and pressed her into the cushion. "You can either tell me now or I'll torture you first. Your call."

Courtney's eyes grew big. "Ja…Jason I…don't know." She said as Jason's hand tightened as he glared down at her.

"I will fucking snap your neck. Where the fuck is Rick?" He yelled.

Johnny looked down at Sarah. "We're going in."

She nodded and they walked in distracting Jason for a second.

"Jason, I swear I don't know. The last time I saw him was at the hospital."

"What was the drug?"

"It was some kind of toxin. I gave him an antidote too."

"So she was really dead?"

Courtney shrugged. "Kind of—but the antidote would bring her back. And then I think he was going to just keep her sedated."

Jason pulled back and walked across the room. He was about to lose it and kill her and he needed to get his anger under control.

Sarah, on the other hand, was raring to go. "You fucking bitch." Sarah yelled.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Elizabeth's sister. Why the hell would you want someone to hurt her like this?"

Courtney rubbed her throat. "Because she took Jason away from me."

Jason exploded. "Are you fucking delusional? I was never yours to begin with." Jason yelled.

"Jason, you don't know what you are saying." Courtney whined.

Sarah grabbed her face hard so Courtney would look at her. "You basically killed my sister and let a sociopath take her because you thought you'd get a piece of ass?"

Courtney whimpered. "He's mine. Elizabeth is Ric's. She belongs with him. He loves her."

Sarah closed her eyes to calm herself so she wouldn't scratch Courtney's eyes out. "And you don't know where he is?"

"No…he didn't tell me that."

Sarah roughly pulled Courtney to her feet. "This is for my sister you disgusting bitch." She said as she held Courtney with one hand and put her weight behind a punch that dropped Courtney to the couch.

"Damn." Johnny said as Courtney crumpled.

Sarah was shaking her hand. "That really hurt."

"Next time tilt your wrist down and use your first two knuckles." Johnny said.

"Good to know." Sarah said nursing her hand.

Jason went into the kitchen and made an ice bag and then walked back towards her. "Let me see."

Sarah held out her hand.

"You're going to be sore. It felt good though didn't it?" He said smirking.

Sarah smiled. "Really good."

Jason put the ice on her hand. "Just keep that on there."

Courtney started to moan and come around.

"Let's go." Jason said. "Francis do not let her out of your sight. We'll deal with her later."

"Will do. I'll try to find out where she got the meds from."

Jason held the door open for Johnny and Sarah and they headed for the penthouse.

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Stan looked up as the trio walked inside. "Welcome back." He said before looking back at his computer. We redecorated while you were gone.

Jason looked around. Considering that he had torn it apart before he left, it looked pretty good. "You get anything else?"

"Ric seems to be using cash. I located an off shore account. If he touches it, we will know."

"Good."

"If she was unconscious, he would have to use a private jet to get her out of the country. I don't think he has the money for that. I checked and monitored any private plans going on within 2 days of her death and it all looks legit. I think he's still in the U.S."

Johnny and Sarah sat down.

"I also monitored hospitals in the area but no dice there either."

"He has her and I'm thinking maybe they're in upstate New York. It would be closer to Canada if he needed to flee and it's close enough that he would still be able to get back to Devlin if he needed to. Jason said.

"Did you look at private EMT companies? There are some that would transport patients. He could have possible just put her in a car but given her condition at the time, that would be really risky and he wouldn't be able to monitor her. He's crazy, but he's not stupid. He wants her alive." Sarah added.

Everyone was staring at her.

"What?"

Jason smirked. "Good job Sarah. Get on it Stan."

"Will do."

"How's the hand?" Johnny asked.

"Sore." She said softly.

Carly came barreling through the doorway. She ran up to Jason and hugged him. "Any news?"

"No, but Sarah just had a good idea. We're hoping it will lead to something."

Carly turned and looked at Sarah. "Hi, I'm Carly we haven't officially met."

"Hi, I'm Elizabeth's sister Sarah."

Carly held out her hand.

Sarah awkwardly squeezed it.

"What happened to you?"

"My fist accidentally fell into Courtney's face."

Carly smirked. "Good job. I like you already."

Sarah smiled and sat back down.

"So, what can I do?" Carly asked.

"Right now, we're just chasing down leads. We think that maybe Ric is still in N.Y."

Carly sighed. "Do you want me to speak to Courtney Jason?"

"I don't think Ric is stupid enough to tell her something like that. He used her for what he needed and probably ended it."

"What about her phone?"

Johnny spoke up. "Number is disconnected."

"Bingo." Stan said smiling. "Hold on." He ran over to the printer on Jason's desk. "Here's a list of transports to the surrounding area within 5 hours of when Liz disappeared."

Jason took the paper. "Ten. That's not bad. Can you hack into their systems and see what you can find?"

Stan nodded. "Already on it."

Johnny looked over Jason's shoulder. "There are two in upstate New York, focus on those first."

"I'm on it."

"What do you think? Should we head that way?" Jason asked.

Johnny was torn. His instincts were telling him that they were probably on the right track. But if they weren't, it would waste precious time.

"Both transports were women. I'm not sure if I trust the rest of the information. If he's smart, he would have faked the documentation."

Jason ran his hand through his hair. He needed to find her.

Sarah watched Jason. He was an interesting yet complex man; a little intense but the love he had for her sister practically radiated out of his pores. Elizabeth had never gone for the bad boys; that had been Sarah's gig. It amazed her that her sister fallen for one of the most powerful men she had ever met. She knew that Jason was her only chance of finding Liz and she just prayed that it would be in time.

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Elizabeth sat up and slowly stood. A nurse had been there earlier and helped her go to the bathroom. She was weak but at least she was able to get around a little.

Ric came into the room smiling. "Hey, it's good to see you up."

Elizabeth gave him a slight smile. She wasn't sure what was up but something told her she needed to play along.

"I brought you a sandwich." He said placing the tray on a small table.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

Ric sat down across from her. "The doctor said that you are doing okay. They are giving you some medication to help lessen the symptoms."

She nodded and took a small bite. "And my family?"

"Well, I listened to you about wanting to die without everyone being around."

"What do you mean?"

Ric sighed. "The truth is that they don't know where you are. I thought you wanted it that way."

Elizabeth didn't say anything. Something definitely wasn't right. "How long do I have?"

"They aren't sure but Ian says that they have an experimental treatment in Europe. I thought that maybe we could go there and give it a try."

"Ric, I feel like you've been making all these decisions for me that greatly affect my life without giving me the chance to weigh in on them. We're not even together anymore."

Ric studied her for a minute. He could tell she was holding back and didn't trust him. This was going to be harder than he thought. Usually, she was compliant. "I'm sorry. You were unconscious and I was trying to abide by your wishes."

"No you weren't."

Ric clenched his jaw and then tried to calm himself. "I'm trying to be a friend to you. I thought that maybe we could try and start over."

Elizabeth took a deep breath. If Ric was going to start to trust her, she had to give him the right amount of resistance before she complied. "I don't know Ric. Right now, I'm kind of hurt. Jason wasn't the man that I thought he was. And honestly, I wasn't happy with you before because you were smothering me."

Ric closed his eyes. "Maybe I didn't handle the news of your death well, I don't know. When we found out you were dying I didn't know what to do. If I overstepped or made you feel uncomfortable, trust me, it was not my intention."

"Trust goes both ways. I don't even know where I am right now."

Ric fidgeted. "You're still in New York Elizabeth. I wouldn't leave the country without your permission."

"Thank you. I just need a little time."

Ric shifted. "But, we don't have a lot of time. If we're going to get you the experimental treatment, I'll have to start making the arrangements today."

"Where is Dr. Devlin?"

"I've been trying to get in touch with him, but he's not answering his phone."

"I would want to talk to him about this treatment first and get his opinion."

Ric stood up. "Okay, I'll do whatever I have to in order to track him down."

Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you."

"It's good to see you smile." Ric said before walking away. He went out into the hallway and cursed under his breath. Devlin was avoiding him and he hoped he wouldn't have to go back to the hospital to find him.

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"We need to do some surveillance of both locations." Johnny said.

"I agree."

"Did Devlin have a phone on him?" Sarah asked.

Jason shook his head. "No."

"Well, maybe we should stop back at the hospital and I can find out if he left it there." Sarah said.

Johnny nodded. "Good idea. Ric might try to get in touch with him."

Stan snorted. "You guys just don't give me any credit do you? Do you have his number Sarah?"

She nodded. "I do." She said fiddling with her phone for a few seconds before handing it over to Stan.

He started typing and about ten minutes later he was accessing the voicemail.

"Dammit Ian, where are you? We need to talk."

They all looked at each other.

"We need to re-direct it so we can answer it next time."

Sarah thought for a moment and then smiled. "Maybe I can answer it. I'll disguise my voice a little and play dumb blonde; we'll see if he gives anything up."

Johnny smiled. "Good idea."

Jason was suddenly very serious. "Sarah, you can't give him any clues. You have to pretend Ian isn't in the room; say he stepped out. Ask if you can take a message. Keep him on the phone as long as you can so Stan can try and get a location."

Sarah nodded.

It took about a half hour for Stan to get everything set up. Now, they just had to wait for Ric's call.

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Elizabeth rested. Her legs were still a bit weak. The nurse had never come back and she wondered if she would. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what had happened after she left Sonny's. Before that, she had been fine. Then, she remembered the hotel and going in to talk with her family. Ric was there and she was upset. "Wait." She said sitting up remembering that Ric gave her something to drink. After that, everything got fuzzy. Elizabeth was in shock. Ric had been drugging her.

The door opened and their eyes met and Elizabeth passed out.


	17. Chapter 17 – Unraveling

A/N – Thanks for the comments! Here's some more action. And perhaps a surprise twist.

Chapter 17 – Unraveling

Sonny walked into the safe house. "Francis, take a walk." He said solemnly.

Francis wasn't sure he should but Sonny had a gun in his hand so he figured he'd comply. If he tried to help Courtney escape, then he'd take action.

Courtney came out of the bathroom. "Sonny." She yelled. "You came for me." She said running up to him and hugging him.

Sonny's body rocked from her motion but he made no effort to hug her bag. "Courtney." He said loudly.

She stepped back. "Jason is really mad at me this time. I didn't mean to upset him. Ric wouldn't hurt Elizabeth. I just wanted Jason for me."

Sonny shook his head. "I can't believe you would be so fucking stupid to mess with Elizabeth like that. You do understand that Jason wants you dead now right?"

Courtney's lip quivered. "Please don't let him do it Sonny. He's just distraught. He'll get over it. Just send me to the island until things calm down."

"Are you high?" Sonny asked.

She shook her head no.

Sonny began to pace. "I've been twisted up in knots for days, trying to think of a way to fix this but I just can't. You went too far. If you had done something like this to Carly, you'd be six feet under already. The only reason Jason hasn't killed you is because of me. And honestly, I feel shitty about that. You may be my blood Courtney but beyond that, I feel nothing for you anymore."

"Sonny, you don't mean that. I'm your sister. I love you." She said sobbing. She started to move towards him and Sonny held up his gun.

"Don't fucking move Courtney. I've made a decision. I'm going to take care of you because Jason doesn't need to be thinking about what he's going to have to do you. He needs to concentrate on Elizabeth. You're my responsibility. I'm sorry it has to be this way but you've left me with no choice. You're not even sorry for what you did. Goodbye Courtney."

"Sonny no!" Courtney yelled right before the bullet pierced her skull.

Francis ran inside and was shocked. "I'll call a cleanup crew." He said before going back outside.

Sonny sat on the couch and put the gun down on the coffee table. He had just killed his sister. He tried to catch his breath. If he had just gotten her help when she started acting crazy instead of ignoring it, maybe Elizabeth wouldn't be in trouble. "Stupid bitch." He muttered before wiping his face and standing back up. He grabbed his gun and went back out to the car.

Max drove him back to the house.

"Carly?"

"Sonny are you okay?"

Sonny sighed into the phone. "It's done."

She was relieved. "I'm sorry. Come home and let me take care of you."

"I'll be right there." He said ending the call and sinking back into the leather seat. He'd let Francis tell Jason. He was too exhausted to have that conversation.

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Later, Johnny, Jason, and Sarah got on a small plane to go back to Sarah's place. If Ric was trying to reach Devlin and couldn't, there was a good chance that he would go back there.

Stan had intercepted a call from Ric to the hospital, and he had told him that Devlin was in surgery.

They had just landed when Stan re-routed Ric's call through to Sarah's phone.

"Ian's phone." Sarah purred.

"I need to speak with Ian now."

Sarah giggled. "I'm sorry but Ian is otherwise disposed at the moment."

Ric growled. "Look bitch, put him on the fucking phone now."

"You're a rude one aren't you? What's the fucking emergency anyway?"

Ric almost threw the phone. "Put him on the phone or I swear to God….."

Sarah sighed. "He's not here."

"Then where is he?"

"Uh….."

"Where is he?"

"We kind of ran out of condoms." Sarah said as Johnny grinned. "Can I take a message?"

"Yeah, tell him to answer his fucking phone next time." Ric yelled before ending the call.

Jason smiled. "Good job. What do you have Stan?"

"He's somewhere near Poughkeepsie."

Johnny grinned. "What do you want to do?"

"When Ian doesn't answer or call him back. He'll come for him."

"So, we stay here?" Sarah asked.

"Yup. He's about two hours from here. I'm thinking that he'll just drive down." Jason said.

"I'll call my girlfriend at the hospital and have him look out for him." Sarah said.

"Let's get a bite to eat and then we'll go wait at the hospital. When he goes in, we'll plant a device on his car and Stan can track him. We'll take the plane up there so we'll beat him there and he'll lead us to Elizabeth."

Sarah smiled. "We should stop by my apartment so I can get some medical supplies."

"It's a plan." Johnny said.

Jason was pleased. Anything could wrong but they were closer to finding Elizabeth than they had ever been. He just hoped Ric hadn't hurt her.

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Ric went into Liz's bedroom. "Are you feeling a little better?" He asked.

She noticed he had a small cooler in his hand.

"I have a little more energy. What's that?"

"I have to go pick up Ian. I'll leave you some food and drink and you sit tight."

Elizabeth nodded. He was leaving her alone. She might have a chance. "Okay."

Ric walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can. You get some rest."

"Okay, hurry back." She said softly.

Ric smiled. "I promise."

She watched him walk out the door and then heard him lock her inside. For the next two hours she tried to get the door open, but it was just no use. Her whole body ached. She laid down and decided to go to sleep for a little bit to get her strength back up.

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They sat in the car watching Ric go inside the hospital. They waited a few minutes until Stan told them to go and Johnny ran to Ric's car and put the GPS device under it and then came back.

A minute later, Stan let them know that he had a read on the car. They left and headed to the airport and got on the plane.

"I'm coming Elizabeth." Jason said under his breath. And then he was going to kill Ric Lansing.

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Ric couldn't find Ian anywhere. A nurse at the hospital (Sarah's friend), told him that Ian left earlier after his surgery ended.

Ric was livid. He drove around for a while trying to spot his car and then reluctantly drove back to Elizabeth. Devlin clearly wasn't an option anymore. So, he'd sedate Elizabeth and take her out of the country into Canada and from there he'd take her to Europe.

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Johnny rented two cars and they split up and made the drive to Poughkeepsie. Johnny parked in a Walmart lot. It was pretty central to town and Jason went a little further out on the main highway. They figured that would be a route that Ric might take. He was clearly operating under an assumed name because Stan couldn't find any real estate linked to him.

Now they just had to wait.

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Elizabeth woke up and checked the time. She went over to a window and struggled to get it open. They were painted shut. Checking the cooler, she found a butter knife and she used it to try to get the window open. It finally budged and she smiled. Unfortunately, she was on the third floor of the house. There was a gutter drain that went down but it didn't look that sturdy.

Running into the bathroom, she rummaged in the linen closet and found several sheets and she started to tie them together. She also had to pull the sheets off the bed to make it long enough. She secured it to the bottom of the bedpost and then dropped it out of the window. "This is it. You can do this." She muttered trying to give herself a pep talk.

Taking a deep breath, she used a chair to climb on and then sat in the window. She carefully turned her body and then dropped herself down as she let out a yelp. It was more difficult than she thought. Her legs entwined with the sheet and then she slowly let herself down. When she got to the grass, she laid back exhausted. It had taken almost all her strength to make it that far. Rolling onto her stomach, she looked around to see if there was someplace to run to. Unfortunately, all she could see were woods. She crawled to the side of the house and saw a dirt road that disappeared around a bend and knew what she needed to do. Using the house to brace herself, she stood up and started walking.

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Ric drove down the highway never noticing that he was being followed. He needed to get back to Elizabeth. Devlin had disappeared and now he was going to do something he told Liz he wouldn't do; take her out of the country without her permission. He'd make her understand. She'd forgive him eventually—that he didn't doubt. If she didn't then he'd find away to get rid of her memories. He would do whatever it took to make Elizabeth his.

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Elizabeth stumbled slowly down the dirt road. It seemed endless. She heard a car coming and moved into the woods and laid down. Thinking she was safe, she started to push off the ground when she heard another car. As it flew by, she collapsed onto the ground. She was exhausted and felt like her body was betraying her and then everything around her went black.


	18. Chapter 18 - Showdown

A/N – Thanks for all the comments! Virgy15 – Thanks you for the shout out! Kikimoo – I went back and forth on how to kill Courtney but I thought it was more powerful to have Sonny do it and show some loyalty to Jason.

Glad all of you are liking Sarah/Daphne.

Chapter 18 - Showdown

Jason stopped his SUV right before the last curve. Ric had already jumped out of the car and went inside the house. Taking the safety off his gun, he got out of the truck and made his way to the porch. Johnny would be there soon so he'd at least have some backup. He wouldn't underestimate Ric considering how much damage he had already done. Creeping up to the front door, he could see inside and there was no movement, so he slowly opened it and went inside.

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Ric made his way through the house. Something didn't seem right, so he grabbed the bat that he kept next to the door in his room and then headed into Elizabeth's bedroom and saw the sheets and open window. He yelled in a complete rage. He didn't understand how she could do this. Knowing the drugs that were coursing through her body, he knew she couldn't have gotten far. Starting to leave the room, he paused when he heard a movement. At first, he thought it might be Elizabeth but then he listened closely and it sounded like the person was going room by room. He clenched his jaw as he finally heard someone stop outside the door. The knob turned and as Jason flung it opened and moved into the room, Ric took the bat and brought it down onto his arms, causing Jason's gun to fly out of his hands and slide under the bed. He dropped to his knees and Ric hit him on the back and then it was on.

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Johnny raced down the driveway, Sarah looked out the window. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. They were so close to Elizabeth and she just wanted to get there already. Jason hadn't checked in yet and she was starting to worry.

"Johnny stop." She yelled.

"What's wrong?" He said as he slammed on the breaks.

"I saw something." She said sliding out the car.

"Sarah wait." Johnny yelled throwing the car in park.

He jumped out and ran after her and saw her duck into the treeline.

"Oh my God." Sarah yelled. "Elizabeth?" She said turning her sister over.

Johnny dropped to his knees. "Is she alive?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. Her pulse is a little slow. Help me get her into the car."

Johnny picked up Elizabeth and carried her to the car and placed her on the backseat."

"Sarah, I'm going to drive a little closer and turn the car around. I need you to get into the front seat. If anything happens, drive back to the town and find a cop."

"I'm not leaving you Johnny."

Johnny drove the car until he saw Jason's and then turned the car around and put it into park. He got out but stayed next to Elizabeth. He opened the door. "Sarah, get in the driver's seat now." He demanded.

Sarah didn't want to leave Liz, but she got out and stood next to the door.

"You can do this." He said handing her a gun. "The safety is off—do not pull the trigger unless you are prepared to shoot." He quickly demonstrated how to a hold a gun. "Aim for their body and keep firing until they go down. Do not come into the house under any circumstances. Do you hear me?"

She nodded with tears in her eyes.

"Getting Elizabeth to safety is your first priority."

He grabbed her and roughly pressed his lips onto hers. "Be safe." He said running off.

Sarah jumped into the car and locked the doors. Turning in the seat, she looked at her sister who was still unconscious. She was really scared.

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With a roar, Jason ignored the pain in his body and blocked Ric's next swing and grabbed the bat out of Ric's hand and shoved the tip into his stomach. "You fucking prick." Jason yelled as he started to pummel Ric.

Ric was gasping for breath and ended up using his feet to push Jason back and he fell into the hallway. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed the bat and just as Jason was righting himself, he brought it down onto his head and Jason went down hard. Blood gushed from his head as Ric panted in the doorway. Running over to the bed, he grabbed Jason's gun and looked up just in time to see Johnny dropping down next to Jason to feel his pulse. Johnny looked up and shot at Ric but missed as he dove to the side firing his gun at the same time. Unfortunately, Ric got lucky and shot him in the arm, causing Johnny to fall backwards into the wall.

Ric walked towards him. "Drop the gun."

Johnny sneered at him. "No."

"Hurts doesn't it?"

Johnny continued to glare. He figured even if Ric shot him again he could get off another shot and kill him.

Ric smirked. "Glare all you want but you're about to die."

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Sarah had grown inpatient in the car. She knew that Johnny had told her to run but she just felt like something was very wrong. So, she got out of the car and locked Elizabeth inside of it. Clutching the gun Johnny gave her, she made her way to the house and slowly entered it and crept up the stairs as she listened to Ric taunting Johnny.

"Not so tough are you?" Ric asked smiling. "Crazy wins over brawn any day."

Johnny ignored the searing pain in his arm. "At least Elizabeth got away, you sick son of a bitch."

"She couldn't have gotten far. I will find her."

"She's somewhere safe by now, so the jokes on you Lansing."

Ric chuckled. "Actually, the jokes on you." He said preparing to fire the gun.

And just as Johnny started to raise his arm, Sarah came from around the corner. "Asshole." She yelled as Ric looked up at her in shock and Sarah began to fire.

Johnny watched as Ric's body jerked as Sarah closed her eyes and kept firing even though she was out of bullets.

Ric's body toppled to the floor and Johnny grabbed Jason's gun. He turned to Sarah who had tears streaming down her face.

"Sarah." He said loudly as he stood up.

Her eyes were still squeezed shut and her hands were shaking as tears rolled down her face.

"Sarah, it's over."

Sarah opened her eyes and dropped the gun as Johnny wrapped his arm around her. "Shhhh, it's okay, you did good. Jason needs your help."

She pulled back and looked up at him.

"I don't remember telling you to close your eyes." Johnny said with a smirk.

Sarah growled and walked around him and ran over to Jason. "He still has a pulse but I think it's bad Johnny. We need to get him to a hospital."

Johnny hated to involve the cops but he'd have no way of explaining how he was shot or why Jason got clocked with a baseball bat so he dialed 911.

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The police arrived before the ambulance. Sarah gave them the car keys so they could check on Liz and they both told the cops what happened.

The EMT's finally got there and they took Jason and Elizabeth to the hospital. Once the cops finished questioning them, Sarah drove Johnny to the hospital as well.

"Thanks for saving me Sarah." Johnny said softly.

"No problem Shaggy."

"Although, you did break your promise and didn't listen to me."

She smirked. "If I had listened to you, Ric would have killed you."

"That's beside the point."

She looked over at his arm which she had bandaged. "Does it hurt?"

"A little but it was through and through. I'll be fine."

"I just hope Jason will be okay."

Johnny nodded. "Me too."

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They made their way to the emergency room and flagged down a nurse. Sarah found out that they were doing some tests on Elizabeth and that Jason was in a room already.

A doctor came out and spoke to her.

"We're doing some doing a full blood test on your sister and also did an ultrasound to check for any organ damage."

"He was keeping her sedated and at one point, he had injected her with a toxin." Sarah said.

"Her heart rate is good and she's stable. But, she hasn't regained consciousness."

"And Jason?"

"He took quite a hit. There's some swelling that is causing some concern. He has some bruising and 20 stitches in his head, but he's stable. You should be able to see him soon but it might be a few days before he wakes up."

"He's pretty tough. He might surprise you." Johnny said.

The doctor nodded. "I'll send a nurse to get you in a few minutes."

Johnny pulled Sarah into his arms. "It's going to be okay."

"It has to be." She said lightly crying.

He pulled back. "Hey, trust me. Jason is tough and so is your sister. And after all they've been through, they deserve a happy ending."

Sarah looked up at him and he wiped away her tears.

"You're beautiful." He said softly.

Sarah smirked. "Does Shaggy like Daphne?"

Johnny smiled. "Yes, he does."

He kissed her forehead.

"Was there something wrong with my lips?" She asked saucily. "Because "

Johnny cut her off with his mouth; tasting her lips as his tongue flicked into her mouth.

A nurse cleared her throat. And he pulled back smiling and turned towards her.

"I can take you to see Mr. Morgan now."

"Thanks."

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Sarah and Johnny walked into Jason's room. She immediately went to his side studying him and scanning him for injuries. Picking up his hand she began to talk to him. "Jason, you need to get better. Elizabeth needs you. Please fight." She said softly.

The nurse came back to the door. "Ma'am I can take you to your sister."

She squeezed Jason's hand. "I'm going to go check on Elizabeth but I'll be back." She said before looking over at Johnny. "You stay with him okay?"

Johnny nodded.

Sarah went into the hallway and spoke quietly to the nurse. "Listen, Johnny was injured too. Do you think you can try and get him to let you look at it? I did the best I could with it on scene."

The woman smiled. "Sure."

Sarah smiled and whispered something in her ear making the nurse chuckle and then they headed off to see Elizabeth.

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Johnny sighed. Everything had gone so wrong. He had been careless with Ric and it had almost cost them all.

The nurse came back into the room a few minutes later.

Johnny noticed her little smirk. "What?"

"Sarah wants me to check your wound. She said that if you don't let me then you can't have any Scooby snacks."

Johnny chuckled and shook his head. "How can a guy refuse that?"

The nurse smiled back. "If I was 15 years younger, I might give her some competition."

Johnny's eyes twinkled. "You could try but she's pretty fierce."

The woman chuckled. "Follow me. There's an exam room down the hall."

Johnny looked at Jason one last time and then left the room.


	19. Chapter 19 - Aftermath

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I did struggle a little with Ric's comeuppance. I didn't want to make it perfect and tie it in a neat bow. Ric got very lucky actually it really had nothing to do with skill lol. But in the end, his arrogance got him killed.

Chapter 19 - Aftermath

Sarah sat down next to Elizabeth. "Hey sleeping beauty. You need to wake up. Ric is gone and he can't hurt you anymore. But, Jason needs you Elizabeth. Please wake up."

She cried for a minute, allowing herself to release some of her pent up emotions. Stepping back from her bed, she made a call. "Dad?"

"Sarah? Are you okay?"

She started to cry and Jeff's heart dropped.

"Sarah talk to me."

"I'm sorry. We're at the hospital. They think Liz is fine but she's unconscious because of the sedative."

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jason didn't fare as well."

"What happened?"

"He got hit in the head with a bat. They think he'll be unconscious for a few days."

"Where are you? We'll come up."

"Dad, I think you and mom should stay there. When she wakes up, she's not going to leave Jason's side. Maybe you could meet us in Port Charles in a few days."

Jeff really didn't want to agree to that but at the same time, he didn't want to pressure Elizabeth. "Okay, We'll go to Port Charles tomorrow and stay at the hotel until you get there.

"Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too."

She made another call.

"Sarah?" Carly asked.

"Carly, we found her."

Carly smiled at Sonny. "Thank God. Is she okay?"

"We're in the hospital. She's sleeping off the sedative."

"So, she'll be fine."

"The doctor thinks there is no lasting damage. So, yes."

"I'm so relieved. Can I talk to Jason?"

Sarah grimaced. "Carly, Jason got hurt." She said trying not to cry.

"How bad?" Carly said sitting down on the couch.

"Ric struck him in the head with a bat."

Carly wiped a tear away. "Will he make it?"

"They think so. But, there's swelling so he probably won't wake up for a few days."

"I'm coming up there."

"Stan has all the details." Sarah said.

"And Ric?"

Sarah let out a little sob. "I killed him."

Carly gasped. "Oh Sarah."

"I had to. Johnny was shot."

"Oh my God is he okay?"

"Yeah, it was his arm. He's fine."

"Thank God. We'll be up there in a few hours."

"Okay, I'll text you the room numbers."

"Hang in there." Carly said softly.

"I will."

The nurse came back into the room.

"Well?" Sarah said wiping her face.

She smiled. "He'll live. The doctor stitched him up."

Sarah smiled. Knowing Johnny was fine made her feel a little better. "Thank you." She said turning towards Liz. It was going to be a long night.

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Carly rushed into Jason's room. Sarah stood up and they hugged. "We've been switching back and forth." She said pulling back. "There's been no change."

Sonny walked inside and stood by them.

Carly grabbed Jason's hand and sat down. "Jason, it's Carly. I need to see those baby blues. Please wake up. We all need you."

Sonny put his hand on her shoulder. "That's right Jason. We need you to fight."

"I'm going to go check on Elizabeth." Sarah said slipping out.

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Johnny looked up as Sarah walked into the room. "Hey."

"Carly and Sonny are with Jason."

"She's still the same."

Elizabeth stirred. "Jason." She muttered.

"Elizabeth." Sarah said. "Open your eyes."

Elizabeth muttered something.

"Dammit Elizabeth. Open your eyes. Do not make me call mom."

Sarah smiled as Elizabeth's eyes fluttered. "Sarah?"

"I'm so glad you're awake. Johnny, can you get the doctor?"

Johnny was already half way out the room.

"You found me?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Ric?"

Sarah closed her eyes.

"Sarah what happened?"

"I shot him. He's dead."

A tear ran down Elizabeth's cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. What happened was all on him. I had to do it."

"Johnny?"

"Shot in the arm but he's fine."

"Was Jason there?"

Sarah smiled and nodded. "Yes, he came after you. He fought for you."

Elizabeth started to cry. She felt so relieved that he was close by.

"Shhhh, don't cry."

"Where is he?"

"Elizabeth." She said softly.

A doctor and nurse ran into the room and Sarah stepped back. They started asking Liz questions but she was getting agitated.

"Everyone stop." Liz yelled. "Where is Jason?"

The doctor looked over at Sarah.

"Ric attacked him with a bat and he got hit over the head. They admitted him and it might take a few days for him to wake up."

Elizabeth let out a sob and was trying to get up.

"Ms. Webber, please lay back. If you let us check you out, we'll take you to him. But, you have to use a wheelchair and you're hooked up to an i.v."

Liz nodded as she tried to calm herself.

Johnny stood behind Sarah with his arms wrapped around her.

The doctor asked Liz questions and went over some test results with her. "I want you to stay overnight."

"Okay. Can I see him now?"

"Yes. And by the way, you aren't sick. There is nothing wrong with you."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. "Ric was making me sick?" She said trying to process the fact that she was going to live.

Sarah nodded. "I'm sorry. I'll explain everything later."

Liz nodded and then pushed Ric out of her mind. She'd deal with everything later, Jason came first. And although she was really glad that she was fine, Jason was not.

The nurse left to get a wheelchair and then got Liz situated and they made their way to Jason's room.

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Carly looked up as Liz was reeled in. She ran over to her and hugged her. Sonny did the same.

"We were so worried about you."

Liz wiped her face. "Ric was delusional. He was trying to take me out of the country—still lying about my illness."

Carly rubbed her arms. "It's okay now. He can't hurt you anymore."

She nodded. "How is he?" She said looking over at Jason.

"He's stable. They won't know anything more until he wakes up."

Sonny pushed her over to the bed and she held Jason's hand and kissed it.

"Jason, it's Elizabeth. I'm here and I'm fine. Please wake up for me. Please. You have to be okay." She said crying.

Carly grabbed a chair and sat next to her and rubbed her back as Elizabeth sobbed. Sonny pulled Johnny out of the room.

"Tell me what happened with Ric."

Johnny walked him through everything that happened.

"Damn. That was close." Sonny said rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't think it has totally hit Sarah yet."

"You two have to be exhausted. There's a hotel down the street. I booked three rooms."

"Thanks Sonny." He said taking a key. "I'll see if she'll let me take her to rest for a bit."

Johnny went back into the room. "Sarah, you're exhausted. Sonny got us a room down the street. Will you come with me?"

She started to object.

"Sarah, please. Go get some rest." Liz said softly. "I'll be fine. I'll probably just sleep anyway."

Sarah walked over to her. "I love you." She said kissing her on the head.

"I love you too."

She took one last look at Jason and walked out.

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They got to the hotel and Sarah sighed. "I'm going to take a shower."

Johnny put down their bags and watched her disappear. He kicked off his shoes and sat down on the bed. He was exhausted. About a half hour later, Sarah came out in a robe and he went into the bathroom and took a shower too.

When he came out, she was already in bed. "It's okay if I stay here with you?"

She nodded.

He slipped into bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay to let it all out Sarah."

"I know. I cried the whole time I was in the shower. I'm good."

He rubbed her back.

"I'm scared to go to sleep." She said softly.

"If you have a nightmare, I'll be here for you. Don't worry."

She looked up at him and he kissed her gently.

"Does this mean I've snagged you?"

Johnny grinned. "Do you want to be my girl Sarah?"

"Yes." She said softly.

Johnny kissed her again. "Sleep baby. I'll make you mine in the morning."

Sarah smiled and closed her eyes feeling completely safe.

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Elizabeth opened her eyes and glanced around the room. Sonny was asleep on a cot or so she thought.

"You okay?" He asked, not even opening his eyes.

"How did you know I was awake?"

Sonny smiled and looked up at her. "Jason isn't the only one with spidey senses."

Liz smiled.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I can't sleep."

"You worried about Jason?"

"Partly."

"Elizabeth, you can tell me anything. It won't leave this room."

Elizabeth sighed. "I feel like a complete idiot."

His eyes snapped open. "Why?"

"Because I allowed Ric into my life. I stayed with him knowing that he wasn't right for me. I can't even tell you why I did it. But, he seemed to love me and maybe I was lonely."

"He was playing a game—showing you love but rarely showing you his dark side. But, you can't keep that kind of ruse up for long periods of time. The dark side will always come out."

"It did partially come out a few times. He blamed it on being stressed or something lame. I actually broke up with him one time. But, then he faked my illness and I took him back."

"No one could blame you Elizabeth. You thought you were dying and he probably promised you the world. Please don't be so hard on yourself."

"Jason wouldn't be unconscious right now if it weren't for me." She said softly.

"You do realize what kind of job he has right?"

Sonny grinned and Elizabeth couldn't help but smile.

"Now you're just making fun of the undead person."

Sonny chuckled. "You walked right into that one. But seriously, you can't blame yourself for everything. You sound like Jason right now."

"Maybe we rubbed off on each other."

"I'm not touching that one."

Elizabeth blushed as she laughed.

"Everything is going to be okay Elizabeth."

"I hope so. My sister killed a man for me. I can only imagine how hard that must be on her."

"True, but Johnny will take care of her."

Elizabeth looked at him warily. "So, what is going on between those two?"

Sonny smiled. "Apparently, they have hit it off."

Liz smiled. "Actually, I think they'd be good for each other."

"We, uh found out that Courtney was helping Ric."

"What?" Liz said loudly.

"I know. You don't have to worry about her. She's gone."

Elizabeth wasn't sure what he meant but he couldn't look her in the eye when he said it, which was very telling. "I'm sorry."

"She shouldn't have tried to hurt you. Anyway, the only reason I brought it up was because your sister decked her."

Liz's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

"Yeah, she hurt her hand a little but she knocked Courtney out."

"Wow. Sarah has a lot to catch me up on."

"She's fierce. She pretty much told Jason she was going along in case you needed a doctor. Even Carly liked her."

Liz smiled. "How's Morgan?"

"I took a picture of him before we left. You want to see?"

Liz nodded yes.

Sonny got his phone out and showed her.

"I miss him. He's so cute."

"Yeah, he takes after me."

Liz laughed at his arrogance.

Sonny smiled. "What? Are you making fun of me now?"

"Absolutely." Liz said grinning.


	20. Chapter 20 – Wide Awake

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! Guest – Love writing them! Thank you!

Chapter 20 – Wide Awake

Sarah walked out of the bathroom in Johnny's tee shirt.

"That definitely looks better on you." He said smiling.

Johnny had been up for a while. And he was glad when she finally woke up. They had some unfinished business to tend to.

Sarah climbed into the bed and he pulled her into him.

"Did you miss me?" She asked with a grin.

"Of course." He said throwing the newspaper on the floor before kissing her softly.

His hand lightly stroked her thigh as his tongue stroked hers.

They pulled apart and Sarah gazed up at him with hooded eyes. "You're very good at that."

Johnny smirked. "I'm good at a lot of things."

Sarah smiled. "I'm sure you are."

Their mouths collided again. And as Johnny sensuously kissed her, his hand made its way under her shirt and touched her breast. Her nipple was already hard and he squeezed and flicked it as she moaned into his mouth.

Running her hands down his muscular chest she reached the waistline of his pajama bottoms and Johnny groaned in anticipation. Her hand skimmed over his erection and she rested it on his hip.

He pulled back. "Tease. I'm going to have to punish you for that."

She grinned. "I look forward to it."

"Naked….now." He demanded.

She sat up and pulled off the tee shirt and wiggled out of her underwear. "Better?"

He nodded as he attacked her breast; his hot mouth flicking over her nipple.

"Johnny." Sarah said breathlessly.

She needed him inside of her. "Please." She begged.

Johnny looked up at her. "You're so impatient." He said sliding a finger in between her folds.

Sarah's hips lifted and her breathing began to get shallow. And when his finger rubbed up against her clit she made the most heavenly sound.

"God you're so beautiful." He said as he watched her cum.

Johnny got up and took off his pants. "Birth control?"

"Yes, now get inside of me now." She demanded.

Johnny smirked and slammed into her as they both moaned with pleasure. He fucked her senseless until she came again and then he followed her into the abyss.

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Sarah walked into Liz's room with a huge smile on her face.

Liz looked at her funny. "You got laid didn't you?"

Sarah grinned. "I let Shaggy have some of my Scooby snacks."

Liz laughed. "And who are you?"

"Daphne—you're Velma and Jason is Fred."

Liz shook her head.

"I'm buying him an ascot for Christmas."

Liz chuckled. "Where are Johnny and Sonny?"

"They went to get the other rental. And I sent them to find you some clothes."

Liz sighed. "Did you talk to mom and dad?"

Sarah shook her head. "Yes, they will meet us in Port Charles."

"So, they know I'm not dying?"

Sarah nodded. "Whatever tests you had done proved it."

"It's so weird. I've spent months thinking I was going to die. The funny thing is that I've lived more in the short time I spent in Port Charles, than I have my entire life."

"You love it there?"

"Yes. I have friends and then there is Jason."

"I like him a lot." Sarah said. "He is so crazy about you, but in a good way."

Liz laughed loudly. "I'm just as crazy about him. And now I have a chance to be with him without all of this depressing death watch hanging over our heads. I want everything with him Sarah."

Sarah smiled. "I'm so happy for you Elizabeth. You deserve it more than anyone I know."

Sonny walked into the room. "Don't worry, I picked out the clothing."

Johnny rolled his eyes and Liz chuckled. "Thank you Sonny."

"You're welcome."

"I think I heard a nurse say that they are letting you go soon. Carly is with Jason."

A nurse walked. "Okay Ms. Webber, you have been sprung."

Elizabeth smiled. "Yea!"

Johnny and Sonny left and Sarah helped her get dressed.

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Elizabeth walked into Jason's room. "Hi Carly. How's our boy?"

Carly sighed. "The same." She said standing up and giving Liz a hug. "It's so good to see you up and about."

"I feel a lot better." She said sliding into the seat Carly vacated.

"I'm going to go get some coffee."

She watched her leave and then took Jason's hand. "Okay, you've rested long enough. If I don't see your beautiful eyes soon, we're going to have a problem. Because we need to start our life together. Please Jason, I love you so much.

Liz's mouth dropped open and she looked down at her hand. "Sarah?" She yelled.

Sarah ran into the room. "What's wrong?"

"I think he squeezed my hand."

"Keep talking to him."

"I felt you squeeze my hand baby. I know it must take a lot of strength, but please, can you do it again for me?"

They both stared down at her hand and about 15 seconds later, Jason's hand moved slightly.

Sarah didn't even wait for Elizabeth to say anything. She ran out and got the nurse who in turn got the doctor.

Elizabeth watched as he examined Jason.

"I'm sorry but I think it was just a reflex."

"But he hadn't moved before that. It seemed to be in response to my voice."

Jason could hear her voice but it was muffled. He was trying to fight his way back to her.

Elizabeth pushed the doctor back and sat down. "Baby, I need you to show this doctor just how tough you are. Do you hear me baby? Fight Jason. Squeeze my hand now."

The doctor watched Jason's hand moved and he smiled. "Well, maybe I'm wrong. He seems to be starting to come around."

Carly came into the room. "What did I miss?"

"He squeezed my hand."

Carly grinned. "Good job Jason."

"Ms. Webber, Jason has a lot of drugs in his system right now. So, it might take a little while for him to come around. Once he's conscious, we'll assess his breathing and if he's doing well, we can take out the tube. His vitals are good and under the circumstances, I'm quite happy with his progress. I didn't think he'd be conscious until tomorrow."

Liz smiled. "Thank you."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Just keep talking to him. Clearly, you're getting through to him."

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About 3 hours later, everyone went to get something to eat except for Elizabeth. She was talking to Jason about all the places she wanted to visit and his eyes slowly opened. She wasn't looking up him, so she had no idea he was watching her.

She thought she heard a funny noise and she stopped mid-sentence and looked up. "Oh my God. Jason." She yelled as she stood up. Grabbing the remote, she pressed the call button and a nurse spoke. "How can I help you?"

"He's awake."

"I'll send a doctor in."

She started to cry. "I'm so glad to see you." She said kissing his hand. "I love you so much."

The doctor ran into the room. "Mr. Morgan, welcome back." He said. "I know the tube is uncomfortable, but it's been helping you breathe. I have some people on the way to access your breathing capacity and then we'll see about getting that out."

He turned to Elizabeth. "When they take out the tube, we'll have to ask you to leave."

Jason's eyes grew big and his blood pressure started to rise.

"Mr. Morgan, please calm down. It will be harder for you to breathe."

"I'm right here Jason. I won't leave you. I promise."

A few specialists rushed in. Elizabeth stepped back but she made sure that Jason could still see her.

They told him what to expect and the only time his eyes left Elizabeth was to close them when they took the air pocket out of the tube. He was really uncomfortable and felt like choking and had started to panic.

"Jason, it will be alright." She said loudly.

Finally they took it completely out. Elizabeth had tears streaming down her face.

A nurse waved her over and Liz held his hand.

"Hi." Jason choked out.

"Don't talk baby. Just get used to breathing normally. We have all day to talk." She said smiling at him through her tears.

The nurse monitored him for a while.

"Don't cry." Jason said hoarsely.

"They are happy tears. I love you."

"Love you." He said weakly.

The nurse finally let him have some water. And then they were left alone.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm fine Jason. He didn't hurt me. I was just sedated. Before you got there, I had tied sheets together and climbed out the window. Johnny and Sara found me on the side of the road in the woods."

"Ric?"

"Ric managed to hit you over the head with a bat and shot Johnny in the arm. Sarah was the one who shot and killed him."

Jason frowned. "Is she okay?"

Liz nodded. "Johnny is taking care of her."

"I'm sorry."

"For rescuing me?"

"For not coming after you sooner." He said slowly.

"Jason, I understand. You thought I left you."

"Ric gave me a goodbye note from you and I was stupid and believed it."

"I was just as stupid because I thought you didn't want me."

"I will always want you Elizabeth."

A gasp came from the doorway. "Jason." Carly said loudly.

Jason smiled. "Hi Carly."

She grinned and ran over to the bed and grabbed his other hand. "You scared me this time."

"Sorry."

"Sonny is here."

"Why."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Because he cares about you, that's why."

"Who's running thing?"

"Bernie and Francis. We're not that far away. I offered to stay and run things but…."

Jason smiled. "That might not have ended well."

Liz chuckled.

Sonny walked into the room. "Jason, it's good to see you man."

Jason smiled. "Good to see you too."

Johnny grinned. "It's about time. What took you so long?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "You let Ric shoot you?"

"Hey, I'm not the one with a dent in his head."

Sarah punched him in his good arm.

"Sarah, thanks for the assist." Jason said.

Sarah smiled. "I was hoping you guys would make me your sidekick."

"Slow your roll Daphne." Johnny said.

The nurse came. "Alright everyone, Mr. Morgan needs his rest."

Carly kissed him on his forehead. "I'll come back later."

They all filed out.

"Does she have to leave?" Jason asked the nurse.

"No, she can stay."

Jason smiled. "Thanks."

The nurse walked out.

"Where are going?" Jason asked as she walked over to the cot.

"I was going to lie down."

Jason patted the bed next to him. "I need you next to me."

"It's probably against the rules."

"Fuck the rules. I just got you back."

Liz grinned. "Okay." She said carefully climbing onto the bed. She laid on her side next to him.

"God it feels good to hold you." He said closing his eyes.

"I missed you so much."


	21. Chapter 21 – Old Wounds

A/N – Thanks for the comments. This chapter is very emotional. You'll see that Sarah and Liz had quite a different experience growing up. This fic wasn't supposed to be really long. There are two more chapters after this and then I have a story I'm really excited about called Long Road Ahead. It's different because Jason is broken (in a different way) and Liz is the one who saves him. So, it's a little dark in the beginning but I'm really excited about it.

Also, I wrote a song with Liason in mind when I was writing the current two fics. If you want to check it out, just type in LPDNFvqk1Yg in youtube search box.

Chapter 21 – Old Wounds

It was two more days until Jason was released and they headed home to Port Charles. He was doing much better. The doctor said he still might have some headaches and his back might hurt for the next week. But, other than that, he had a clean bill of health.

Carly and Sonny had left a day earlier so that they could get home to the boys. Besides, Bernie was going crazy running things, so Sonny decided to put him out of his misery.

"Are you nervous to see your family?" Jason asked.

Elizabeth shrugged. "A little bit. Sarah says that it's more my mother we have to worry about. My dad seems to get that you are it for me."

Jason smiled. "I like how that sounds."

They had spent a lot of time talking about what happened and where they wanted to go from there. Jason wanted her to move in with him. As far as he was concerned, they had already lost too much time. Elizabeth had agreed. She didn't want to be separated from him anymore.

She looked over at Sarah and Johnny who were playfully arguing and smiled. She had never seen Sarah be that happy with someone. Johnny's lightness was definitely good for her.

"What are you thinking about?"

She looked up at him. "I'm just happy that Sarah found someone."

Jason glanced over at the other couple. "She'll keep Johnny in line. God knows I'm tired of doing it."

Liz chuckled. "Who are you kidding? You two are like two peas in a pod. In the movies, they would call that a bromance."

Jason frowned. "That sounds way to intimate."

Liz laughed. "It just means you're besties and like to hang around each other."

"Besties?"

Liz grinned. "Yes."

"Johnny." Jason said loudly.

Johnny turned and looked at him.

"If I ever call you my bestie, will you promise to shoot me?"

Johnny grinned. "I would do so on principle."

They all laughed.

The pilot let them know they were landing and Liz grabbed Jason's hand.

"Do you want to go straight to the hotel and get it over with?"

Liz nodded. "Yeah, that would probably be better."

Jason looked out of the window. He wasn't looking forward to the parental confrontation. He still wasn't happy about how they had pushed Ric on his girl. Letting her make her own decisions didn't seem like something they were used to. But, they would have to adjust because he wasn't going to let them bully her.

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They met her parents in the restaurant. Jeff swallowed up his little girl in his arms and they both stood there were tears in their eyes for a few minutes.

"I'm so happy to see you." He said as he held her face in his hands.

"I missed you too." Elizabeth said smiling.

Jeff moved onto Sarah and Andrea gave Elizabeth a hug. There were a lot of tears shed.

"I'm so glad that you're safe and healthy."

"I'm glad too."

Andrea hugged Sarah and then they all sat down.

The waitress brought them their drinks and they placed their order. There weren't a lot of people in the restaurant and they were off in a corner.

"Elizabeth, we're so sorry for pushing Ric on you. We had no idea what he was capable of." Jeff said emotionally.

Elizabeth touched his hand. "I didn't know either. I knew he had some issues but nothing like what he ended up doing."

"I guess we're not used to letting you live your own life." Andrea said softly.

"And I don't get that in a way. Do you think I'm weak?"

Jeff shook his head. "No, it's not that. We just want the best for you both. Sarah always fought us when we'd tell her what to do but you never did."

"Trust me, that's a mistake I won't make again. I'm with Jason and I'm staying in Port Charles."

"But Elizabeth…" Her mother started to say.

"Mother, I'm so happy here. Jason is everything to me and I've met such great friends."

"They are all criminals."

"Ric wasn't a criminal and he ended up being far worse. I don't think you understand that you just don't get a say. Maybe Jason's profession is not ideal but he is everything to me. He took a chance loving me when he found out I was dying. All he wanted was to make sure that my last days were happy. He gave me unconditional love and I felt so special and fulfilled. You should want that for me."

"I do. It's just—his life is so dangerous."

Liz smiled. "And my life with Ric wasn't? Jason will do whatever he can to protect me. I don't doubt that even for a second."

"I would give my life for her."

"You don't seem to be upset that Sarah is with Johnny." Liz said pointedly.

Andrea looked over to the other couple. "I guess I didn't think it was serious."

Sarah shook her head. "Because you don't think that he'd stay with me right?"

"Sarah." Jeff said frowning.

"It's true. You think that he couldn't possibly really care about me because you don't think I'm very loveable."

Johnny took her hand. He really didn't like what she was inferring and glared at her parents.

"It's not that Sarah."

"Then what is it then?"

"You are just more brash that's all and you tend to self sabotage your relationships. " Andrea said.

Sarah shook her head. "Look, I know I'm not your favorite kid. Everyone thinks I'm this strong person who doesn't need as much attention. So you doted on Elizabeth and Steven. I did bad things to get your attention and instead of trying to understand my behavior, you just chalked it up to me just being Sarah and looked down on me." She stood up. "And I will not tolerate it any longer. I am worth loving and I am done letting you affect my choices. I'm moving to Port Charles with Elizabeth." She said throwing down her napkin. She quickly walked out to the balcony and Johnny started to get up.

"Please, let me." Jeff said following his daughter.

Elizabeth felt like shit for directing the attention to Sarah like that. But, she was glad that Sarah finally told her parents how she felt.

"I guess this just proves we're just crappy parents." Andrea said putting her head in her hands.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Mom, you made some mistakes. It's not too late to try and make amends. I don't want you out of my life. I just want you to let me live mine. As far as Sarah is concerned, you both have some serious apologies to make. She's hurting deeply because she thinks that you don't love her. You need to make that right before it's too late."

Andrea nodded. "I know. I'm sorry for so much. I'll make the effort with her. We're going to stay around for the rest of the week. Hopefully, she'll let us spend some time with her. I'm so sorry Elizabeth. I hope you can forgive me and accept that I am willing to let you make your own choices. I might slip up from time to time but I hope you will correct me when I do. Sometimes, old habits are hard to break."

Elizabeth wiped a tear away. "I love you mom." She said standing up and walking around the table so she could hug her.

Johnny looked over at Jason. "Brutal." He said softly.

Jason nodded.

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Jeff walked up behind Sarah. "Sweetie, talk to me."

Sarah spun around. "You made me feel like I wasn't good enough; that I could never measure up. I even went to med school for you but you would still find some way to criticize me." She clenched her fists. "I have made so many bad choices because I was so hurt by something either one of you said to me. Do you know that for my first time, I slept with a boy because mom called me a whore? She had caught me in the mall in an outfit that wasn't appropriate and somehow that translated into me sleeping around. She said it in front of my friends."

Jeff grimaced.

"I gave my body to some stupid boy who didn't give a shit about me because that's how damaged I was. I was so pissed off at her that I figured, if you think I'm a whore, than fine I'll be one."

"Sarah."

"That is how hurt I was." She said as tears streamed down her face. "I hated myself for it." She said sobbing. "And I hated her."

Jeff grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry." He said crying. "I wish I could go back and make it all better for you but I can't. All I can do is love you now and I do love you Sarah."

Sarah cried as she listened to her dad whisper he loved her over and over. It was all she had ever wanted.

Johnny walked up to them as they pulled apart.

Sarah looked over at him. "I'm sorry. I'm such a mess."

He handed her some tissues. "You're my mess." He said opening his arms and she rushed into them.

Jeff wiped his face and walked back to the table. The waitress had put the food down but none of them really had an appetite anymore.

"How is she?" Elizabeth asked.

Jeff shook his head. "The things she just told me will break my heart forever. I don't even begin to know how to make it up to her." Jeff said softly.

Jason sighed. "She might try to push you away but don't let her."

Jason was thinking about his experience with his family.

"Just give her a little space right now but keep letting her know that you'll be there and you love her. Don't be judgmental. It's her life and her decisions to make. But, you have to accept her for who she chooses to be not who you want her to be. If you don't, she'll just lash out and it will end up hurting her far more than it hurts you." Jason said as Elizabeth leaned her head on his arm.

"Thank you for saying that Jason. I'm sorry if I gave you a hard time before. You're a good man. My daughter is lucky to have you."

Liz smiled at her dad.

Johnny walked back to the table. "Listen, I'm going to take Sarah back to my place. She just needs some time to calm down."

Elizabeth stood up and gave him a hug. "Take care of her Johnny."

"I will. She said she'd talk to you tomorrow." Johnny said to Andrea and Jeff.

He went back to get Sarah and they left.

"I guess lunch is over." Jeff said. "We have a lot of talking to do." He said to Andrea who nodded.

Jason threw some cash on the table and they all stood and went to the elevators. Elizabeth hugged her parents before they got off and then Jason pulled her into his arms.

"You okay?"

"That was intense, but it needed to happen." Elizabeth said softly.

Jason nodded. He felt bad for Sarah. He hadn't realized how badly she had been treated. "I'll talk to her if you want me to."

Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled. "You don't have to Jason. If the conversation happens, then by all means talk to her. But, I do appreciate you offering."

"I want both of you to be happy. I got to know Sarah a little bit while we searching for you. She's different but not in a bad way. She's really strong but underneath of that she's vulnerable. I think that is why Johnny will be good for her. She can handle him but he'll make sure she knows she's loved and feels secure. He has a big heart."

"He does. But then again so do you." She said sliding into the car.

He smiled and got in next to her. "As long as you don't let my enemies know that, it will ruin my rep."

Liz smiled. "God forbid I ruin your street cred."

He kissed her. It wasn't gentle like the kisses in the hospital. It was hot and demanding and let her know what his intentions were when they got back to the penthouse. And just that alone made her wet.


	22. Chapter 22 – Home Sweet Home

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! Lorena. – better late than never! Lol * Virgy15 – Thank you so much!

I know you guys will be sad to see this one go. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!

Chapter 22 – Home Sweet Home

Elizabeth and Jason went into the penthouse.

"Home sweet home." Jason said walking inside.

Elizabeth frowned. "Why is the furniture different?"

Jason shrugged. "I kind of got pissed off when I read the note and destroyed the place."

Liz looked up at him stunned that he was that strong. "Well, that's kind of hot."

Jason smirked. "You think so?"

She bit her lip and lifted her shirt over head.

Jason sucked in his breath.

Elizabeth loosened her jeans and they slipped to the floor.

Jason's eyes slowly took her all in as Elizabeth watched his eyes grow darker. She walked up to him lifted his shirt and he yanked it off as she ran her hands down his chest and left a trail of kisses after them. God he had missed her so much.

By the time she kissed her way to his zipper, Jason was almost busting out of jeans. She dropped to her knees and carefully unzipped him and pulled his jeans and boxers down. Licking her lips, she took him into her mouth and Jason groaned. "Elizabeth." He said in a whisper.

And when he grabbed her hair, Elizabeth moaned and Jason's cock jerked in her mouth. He pulled her back and pulled her up to him. "I need you now." He said before attacking her sweet lips. They backed into the wall as they frantically kissed. Grabbing her underwear, he shoved them down and she stepped out of them. Lifting her up she wrapped her legs around his waist as they both panted and started to grind into each other. Jason adjusted her position and then lined himself up and entered her fully. "Fuck." He muttered as her walls enveloped his cock.

Elizabeth almost came from the sensation and it had left her breathless. And then he started slamming into her roughly. And they both were lost in the exquisite friction between their bodies. As Elizabeth came screaming his name he couldn't hold on any longer and erupted deep inside of her; burying his head in her shoulder. He was lost in his emotions and knew he could never lose her again.

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Johnny looked down at Sarah as he held her in his arms. She had seemed so fragile in the car. He carried her up to his apartment and then laid her on his bed and took off her shoes. Sarah wasn't crying anymore, instead, she watched him take off his shoes and socks and then climb on the bed next to her. Stroking her face he looked at her with such kindness and acceptance that she was overcome.

"I want you to know that I like you for just you Sarah. I don't want you to ever think that you are not enough. You amaze me. I hope you'll let me take care of you and dote on you tonight. I can't make how they made you feel go away. But what's really important is how you feel about yourself . When I look at you, beyond your beautiful face and body, I see a smart, funny woman who cares deeply. You're fierce, loyal and giving. And I'm sure you must be an incredible doctor because you never do anything half-assed. You make me feel Sarah. I don't think you understand what that means. I'm not paid to feel and I turn off that side of me so much that I don't open up to many people anymore. But you came along and even though it's only been a short time, you're all I think about. Will you let me in?" Johnny asked softly.

Sarah swallowed deeply. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. A tear fell down her face and Johnny wiped away. "Let go." He whispered.

Sarah took a deep breath. "Make love to me Johnny."

Johnny kissed her gently and he did make love to Sarah; slowly and purposefully, letting her know that he was willing to let go too.

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The next day, Jason walked into the warehouse and saw Johnny walking towards him.

"You look like shit." Jason said to Johnny.

"Like you look any better." Johnny said following him into his office.

"Why are you limping?" Jason asked.

Johnny smirked. "Sarah was fucking insatiable last night. I think I threw out my back."

Jason laughed. "I didn't get much sleep last night either."

He sighed. "How is Sarah doing?"

Johnny shrugged. "I think she feels a little better. I think it will take awhile for her to see herself like I see her but if anyone can do it…."

Jason nodded. "Elizabeth is a little skittish about falling asleep, but I know it will pass eventually. Ric will be a distant memory."

"The prick."

"I wish I could have tortured his ass. I still can't believe he got the best of both of us. What the fuck?"

"I know. He got off a lucky shot. I got distracted by all the blood coming out of your head."

"Don't let it happen again." Jason said with a smirk.

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Sarah smiled as she watched Elizabeth walk funny back to the couch. "Hmmmm—I wonder what you were doing all night?"

Liz grinned. "Glorious things. How are you doing?" She asked holding her sisters hand and laying on her arm.

"I'm okay. Johnny was wonderful last night. He said some really incredible things to me."

"I hope I never did anything to make you feel badly about yourself Sarah."

"Never—it wasn't your fault. I know I pushed you away but I didn't want you to get in trouble or get a bad reputation."

"I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of that. I wish I had known."

"I just wasted so much time being rebellious you know? I just wish I had made different choice."

"Sarah, you were a kid. You weren't supposed to have to deal with all of that. Our parents failed you."

"There is another reason that I didn't want to tell you everything. I didn't want you to hate our parents because of me. They were controlling with you but they still showed you a lot of love. I didn't want to ruin that for you."

"Oh Sarah." Elizabeth said hugging her. "I love you so much. I don't think I could have asked for a better big sister."

Sarah cried and Elizabeth held her tightly. And when she calmed down, she said, "I'll go with you when you go to see them again. Let me be there for you."

Sarah nodded. "Okay."

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Elizabeth made some brownies and they laughed and joked around.

"These brownies are good but I'm having a craving for something else."

Liz almost spit out her water. "If I do that again, I may need a doctor."

"Did you take a hot bath?"

Liz shook her head.

"Go run one, and then we'll text our men." Sarah said grinning.

Liz smiled and ran upstairs.

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Johnny and Jason were going over some paperwork when both of their phones vibrated.

"Um, I need to go." Johnny said standing up.

"I do too." Jason said.

Johnny looked at him funny. "Are they together?"

Jason nodded. "I don't think so."

They left and went home.

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Jason walked into the penthouse and dropped his keys on the table. He noticed a piece of paper on the floor.

Picking it up, he read it. It didn't look like Elizabeth's handwriting but it said, "Fred, I was feeling a little dirty, maybe you could help me with that."

He laughed knowing it was Sarah who must have written it. He kicked off his boots and socks and threw his shirt off. Running up the stairs, he undid his jeans and stepped into the bedroom. Elizabeth wasn't there but he noticed a glow from the bathroom. He smiled and kicked off his jeans and pushed the door open.

Elizabeth was sitting in a bubble bath with her hair piled onto her head. She looked so fucking gorgeous.

"Hi." She said softly. "Care to join me?"

Jason smiled. "I would love to."

He slipped into the jacuzzi tub opposite from her. "You look beautiful."

Liz blushed. "I missed you."

"You're too far away."

She smiled. "Well let me fix that." She said moving into his arms.

"God you feel so good." He said enjoying their closeness.

She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "I was sitting in here, touching myself, thinking about you."

Jason groaned as his cock hardened between them.

"I'm already so hot for you." She said breathed out into his ear.

Jason growled and lifted her up and Elizabeth impaled herself on his enormous erection as she yelled his name.

Grabbing her hips, he slammed her down onto his cock over and over again. "Touch yourself." He demanded. Elizabeth was almost gone. She stared into his eyes as he slammed her onto him again and she touched herself and threw her head back as he changed it up and fast and furiously pumped inside of her. Jason groaned as she whimpered and cooed. "Jason." She yelled as her body jerked. Jason's breath caught and he panted and then said her name as he released himself inside of her. She collapsed into him as he twitched inside of her. "I may never walk again."

Jason chuckled. "Then I'll carry you."

"I love you Jason."

"I love you too."

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Johnny chuckled when he walked into his apartment and Sarah stood there naked, holding some handcuffs.

"You've been a really bad boy Johnny. It's time for your punishment."

Johnny grinned. "Do your worse." He said.

Sarah grinned. "You have no idea.


	23. Chapter 23 - Epilogue

A/N – Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. I really appreciate all of you who take the time to read my fan fiction. It means a lot to me. Hopefully, I'm getting better at it. I posted the new fic, Long Road Ahead. Please check it out.

Chapter 23 - Epilogue

6 Months Later

Elizabeth sat on a bench in the park looking at Jason pushing Michael on the swings. Morgan let go of Carly's hand and ran to her squealing and she laughed as she grabbed him and pretended he was an airplane.

Carly smiled and looked over at Sarah. "She's really good with him."

Sarah smirked. "She is. Did she tell you that last week she got dizzy and Johnny had to catch her?"

Carly frowned. "No."

"Uh huh. We all started a pool about what sex the baby will be."

Carly's eyes grew big. "You think she's knocked up?"

Sarah nodded. "Why else would she get dizzy? God knows they go at it like freaking rabbits."

Carly chuckled. "You should talk."

Sarah grinned. "Yum." She said looking over at Johnny who grinned back at her.

Carly shook her head. "I want in on the pool. I think it will be a little girl."

Sarah smiled. "I'll be happy to take your money Carly."

They both studied Elizabeth. "How are you going to get her to take a test?"

"Well, we could lock her in the bathroom until she agrees to pee on a stick."

Carly laughed.

Johnny and Sonny looked at each other. "Those two are kind of scaring me. Do you see the sinister look on their faces?"

Sonny grinned. "I noticed that."

"The last time they cooked up a scheme, Jason woke up wearing an ascot and Elizabeth woke up with glasses on and a short wig."

Sonny laughed. "I still have that picture on my phone."

Jason sat down next to them. "What's up?"

Johnny moved his head in their direction and Jason frowned. "Go break them up Johnny."

Johnny frowned. "I'm not going over there. She'll withhold her Scooby snacks."

Sonny shook his head.

"Wus." Jason said.

Elizabeth got up from the blanket and walked about two steps and luckily Milo saw her start to go down and he ran and caught her.

Jason jumped up and ran to her side and picked her up and laid her down on the blanket. "Elizabeth." He said shaking her.

Carly and Sarah turned to look at each other. "It's on." Carly said getting up as Sarah followed.

"Let me see her." Sarah said pushing through the crowd. She took her pulse. "Her pulse is fast. I think we should take her to the ER."

Jason nodded. "I got her. Milo, get the car."

Milo ran towards the parking lot and Jason picked her up.

"We'll meet you there." Sonny said, starting to pack up everything.

"I better ride with them." Sarah said. She followed Jason to the car and they headed to G.H.

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Robin saw them come in. "Jason, what's wrong?"

"She passed out."

Sarah piped up. "She has gotten dizzy at least once before that I'm aware of."

Robin nodded. Jason placed her on a gurney and watched them push it away. Sarah touched his arm. "Jason, she's probably dehydrated. Come with me to the waiting room."

About a half hour later, everyone else arrived. Sarah was sitting next to Jason rubbing his back.

Johnny sat down next to Sarah. "Any news?"

"No, but they should be coming out soon."

Carly sat next to Jason and squished him into her side. "It's going to be alright."

He nodded. "I hope so."

Robin came walking towards him. "She's okay. We're giving her some saline and we've rushed the blood work. We'll hopefully know what is going on in the next hour."

Jason sighed with relief. "Is she awake?"

"Yes, and she's asking for you."

Jason stood up and followed Robin into a room. Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled as soon as she saw him.

Jason rushed to her side. "Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I should have been drinking more fluids. It was hot out today."

"Why didn't you tell me that you had gotten dizzy before this?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I didn't think it was a big deal. I had forgotten to eat."

Jason rubbed her hand with his thumb. "Elizabeth you have to take better care of yourself."

She felt bad for worrying him. "I'm sorry. I'll do better."

"I just love you so much. When you passed out—I just can't lose you." He said softly

"Oh Jason, I'm not planning on going anywhere. You are stuck with me until I'm old and gimpy. Of course, I might not remember who you are by then but I'm sure I'll still think that you're hot."

Jason smiled. "Good to know."

Robin walked back into the room with a smile on her face.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Well, we got your blood work back. Congratulations." Robin said grinning.

Elizabeth looked back and forth between Jason and Robin. "For what?"

Robin chuckled. "You are pregnant."

"What?" They both yelled at the same time.

"You heard me."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. "But—I mean—how did this happen?"

Robin laughed. "I'll give you a moment and I'll go get Kelly."

Jason was still sitting there with a completely dumbfounded look on his face.

Elizabeth swallowed hard. A baby? She was in shock. It wasn't something either one of them had even discussed. Sure, they constantly had sex and loved being with each other. But, children were on a completely different level.

Jason cleared his throat. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Can you go get my sister please?"

Jason stood up. "Okay." He walked out and then went to the waiting room.

Sarah saw his expression and stood up. "What's wrong? You look pale?"

Jason dragged her over to a corner while everyone else glared at him for not sharing.

"I don't know what to do. She wants to see you and she didn't say whether she was happy or sad. I mean, we're both in shock but I'm thinking she is upset and doesn't want—Oh my God, suppose she doesn't want it?"

Sarah tried not to laugh at his rambling. "Do you Jason?"

His eyes snapped down to hers. "How do you even know what I'm talking about? No one could make sense of what I just said."

She grinned. "I just have spidey senses. Now answer the question."

"I do want this baby with all of my heart. It's a part of her; of course I will love it."

Sarah smiled. "Good answer. Let me go talk to her."

He nodded and walked back to the others.

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"Hey." She said walking towards Elizabeth.

"Hi."

"Why are you crying?"

"Cause Jason doesn't want our baby."

Sarah bit her lip and counted to five in her head so she wouldn't laugh. "And why do you think that?"

"Because he didn't say anything."

"Neither did you. He was in shock. Are you happy Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth touched her stomach. "I—I think so—yes. I mean I'm just shocked. But, of course I will love this baby. It's part of Jason and I hope that she has his eyes because they are so beautiful."

Sarah laughed. "He pretty much said the same thing to me a few minutes ago."

Elizabeth smiled and wiped her face. "He did?"

Sarah nodded. "What am I going to do with you Velma? Fred is out there having heart palpitations. I'm going to go get him before they have admit him. You know how much he hates hospitals."

Sarah went and got Jason and she watched him walk away.

Carly walked up to her. "Spill it."

Sarah grinned. "Oh, she's knocked up alright."

Carly squealed. "This is so awesome. Their little girl is going to be so beautiful."

"I agree." Sarah said smiling. "Except it will be a boy."

"We'll see about that."

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Elizabeth watched Jason come into the room. He sat on the bed and then gave her a kiss.

"We're going to have a baby." Elizabeth said softly.

Jason smiled. "I know. We definitely had a lot of fun making it."

Liz blushed. "Are you happy?"

He nodded. "Yes, are you?"

"Yes. The more I think about it the more excited I'm getting."

Kelly walked in the room. "Hello, I'm Dr. Kelly Lee."

Elizabeth smiled and Jason stood up and shook her hand.

Kelly looked Jason up and down. "Damn." She said under her breath. "Uh, first, do you have any questions?"

"Not yet. The news is still sinking in."

Kelly smiled. "I totally understand. Here's my card if you think of any. I'll have the nurse bring you some pamphlets. I reviewed your test and I think you're probably two months along. Have you been sick?"

"She was a little last week. We just thought it was a bug."

"If you start getting morning sickness, which can happen any time during the day, than try some crackers or ginger. It might help settle your stomach."

"Does she need to rest more?" Jason asked.

"Just listen to your body Elizabeth. If you get tired and need to nap than do it. Other than that, you should be able to carry on quite normally. You don't want to do anything crazy but your normal every day activities should be fine. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an art teacher at PCU."

"What about motorcycle rides?" Jason asked.

"As long as it's not motocross, it would probably be okay. Just take it easy."

Liz smiled. "Thank you Kelly."

"My nurse will call you and schedule your first appointment. Until then, get rest, drink plenty of fluids, and make sure you eat."

"I will." Elizabeth said smiling.

"I already called you in some pre-natal vitamins. It was nice meeting you both."

Kelly went back into the hallway and walked up to Robin. "You didn't tell me he was so hot."

Robin smiled. "I know. I figured I surprise you."

"She is one lucky mama.

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For the remainder of the pregnancy, Jason doted on Liz. They set up a nursery in one of the guest bedrooms and Elizabeth painted a beautiful mural on the walls. They were so happy.

And when Jayla (combination of Jason and Lila) Audrey Morgan was born, she took everyone's breath away. She had dark hair and plump lips just like Elizabeth but her eyes were all Jason.

Two Months Later

Jason pulled Elizabeth out onto their balcony. "Elizabeth, I don't know if it's even humanly possible to love you more than I already do. You are everything to me and I never thought I could have it all. Jayla is such a gift. I want us to be a family."

"We already are."

"No, I don't think you understand. I want to make it official. Elizabeth will you marry me? I promise to do whatever I can to make you happy and feel protected. I just want you to be my wife, forever."

Elizabeth's eyes were filled with tears but she had the biggest grin on her face. "Yes Jason. I will marry you." She said before throwing her arms around his neck as they kissed passionately.

They separated and Jason pulled a box out of his pocked and opened it.

Liz gasped. "Jason, it's beautiful."

It was a three carat princess cut diamond that had diamonds and rubies on the band. He took it out of the box and put it on her finger. He held her and then spun her around. They were beyond happy.

Footnote:

Two years later, Elizabeth and Jason had a little boy as well. Jake Alan Morgan was the spitting image of his father. They ended up building a house in Port Charles. Sarah and Johnny moved in down the street and ended up getting married 6 months after Jake was born.

Carly and Sonny had a little girl, Josslyn Adela Corinthos. Jeff and Andrea ended up splitting up but both keep in touch with their girls and spent time with their grandkids.

The End


End file.
